A Circle Of Names

We're a little more than halfway through the alphabet and this is usually the point where I start to run out of steam. I ask my family to help by giving me a word, and sometimes that works. Today I got nothin'. 

As in N is for Nothin'. 

When I really started thinking about things I've kept, or things I want to keep, that begin with the letter N I came up with one thing, and when I told hubs he said it was a little lame. 

But lame is better than nothin', right? Hubs and I agree the object isn't lame, it's just hard to make it a blog post, but of course that won't stop me. 

 Day 14-N is for Nana's Necklace 

My Nana necklace-

Rest assured I will not be posting a picture of my neck here because just because. 

Eight years ago I became a Nana, and for my birthday a couple of months later daughter1 bought me a necklace with two small charms. One was a bar with the word Nana engraved on it and the second was a round charm with the mancub's name engraved on it. I flipped the charms over in the photo because I try not to use their names on the blog. This necklace is such a treasure. 

Becoming a grandmother is just all around grand. 

When baby boy number two was born, aka Max, daughter1 gifted me another round charm with his name engraved there. His actual name, not Max which is his blog name. 

Then along came baby boy number three, and daughter1 shared the charm link with her sister and daughter2 added yet another round disc to the chain with her baby boy's name engraved there. 

A few months later Little Miss arrived and a fourth round charm was added, and then grandbaby number five joined the party and one more charm was added to the chain with her name on it. 

I've told my girls if there are any more babies I'll need a bigger chain. 

I love this necklace so much and wear it pretty much every day. I tend to handle it now and then too, and when I do I say a quiet prayer for these precious little people who have brought so much joy to my life. 

This necklace is a keeper. 

A Mostly Tax Free Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge, and bonus the letter M in the A-Z Blog Challenge. You'll find my entry for that in today's random thought. Scroll down to question #6.

If you've answered today's questions add you link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger before you. It won't be taxing at all. Now here we go...

Wait. One more thing. Hodgepodge links only here today, please and thank you. And now here we go for real...

1. Big week in the US of A...do you do your own taxes? What's something you've found 'taxing' lately? 

We do not do our own taxes. Actually our accountant phoned us at 8:30 PM Sunday evening to discuss, so thank your CPA because this time of year is brutal for them. 

Something I've found taxing lately? Hmmm...how about blogging my way through the alphabet every day in the month of April? I really do enjoy it, but it's also a lot. 

2. When it comes to travel are you a last minute packer or a lay it all out a week in advance type? Do you struggle to pack light? Share a packing tip that has worked for you. 

I am not last minute except for those things that can only be added last minute. I am more of an overthinker when it comes to packing. I like options, and I like to have somewhat of a plan for what I will wear each day. If I'm flying I have more self-discipline, but with a car trip all bets are off. 

My packing tips? I have traveled a lot but still am not sure you want packing advice from me. Use the packing cubes. It keeps things organized in your suitcase and you can group items in whatever way works for you. 

3. April is National Grilled Cheese Month. Hmmm...who knew it got its own month? Do you like a grilled cheese sandwich? What ingredient do you add to take yours to the next level? 

In hosting the weekly Hodgepodge for many years I've learned there is a national day and/or month for everything under the sun. Not complaining though because it helps me come up with questions when my brain cannot. 

I love a grilled cheese sandwich, and it's even better with a side of tomato soup for dipping. I feel like grilled cheese is a winter lunchtime meal and rarely make one in the summer. I will order a fancy grilled cheese on occasion, but my favorite is the plain old fashioned kind with bread, butter and plenty of melted cheese. No need to doctor it up. 

4. There's a well known quote that says-

'A ship in the harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are built for." John A. Shedd  

Is constant growth necessary or do you think it's more important to prioritize stability and peace in your life? 

I've had seasons where I've been tucked safely in the harbor and that felt necessary. There have of course been many seasons where I've been tossed on the waves which, while unpleasant and confusing, were also likely very necessary. 

I'm not sure anyone's life is all smooth sailing. I think we can and do grow in rough water, but growth can also happen while in a place of stability and peace. Sometimes we need a more gentle environment to be able to look at our lives and see what's working and what's not. 

Ideally we need a balance of growing and rest. Think about the natural world where plants lie dormant in the winter and grow like wildfire in the spring. We humans need something similar. 

Now in terms of spiritual growth I want that to be ongoing. I want to always be growing more like Christ which I think is what we're made for. 

'Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.' Colossians 3:2 

5. Let's wrap this up with a fun spring this or that-

• daffodils or tulips tulips
• lemonade or iced tea half tea half lemonade is my favorite
• gardening or hiking both, but if I have to choose I'll say hiking 
• ladybugs or butterflies butterflies 
• umbrella or raincoat both, but I am partial to a cute umbrella 
• floral patterns or polka dots I like both...my answer would depend on where the pattern is going; is it a top? a dress? a pillow? my bedding?

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I'm using this space for today's letter in the A-Z Blog Challenge, continuing my theme which is The Things We Keep: An A-Z of Ordinary Objects. 

Day 13-M is for the MGB

Technically the MG is hubs baby but what's mine is his and all that jazz. Plus, I enjoy being a passenger in this little beauty who must have it's own garage bay in whatever home we own. 

We bought the MG in the UK and brought it back with us when we returned stateside. I will say we have more money in the car than the cost of the actual car but I think that's how it often goes with old vehicles.

The MG is a right hand drive vehicle which can freak people out when they pull up beside us at a traffic light. Hubs used to sometimes take our dog with him and the dog sits in what would be the driver's seat in the US so there are lots of double takes by people passing by. 

We drive it on country roads mostly, and try not to get into interstate traffic or super congested areas if possible. We never put the top up so we only drive it in good weather. It wreaks havoc on my hair but we don't get out in it every day so I deal. I am strictly a passenger because she's a tad fussy. 

The car is almost sixty years old, and we've owned her for more than twenty ourselves. I can't imagine getting rid of her, and hope maybe someday hubs can hand over the keys to a grandchild. None of them will be driving for years yet so it won't happen anytime soon, but maybe someday. 

For now...

...we cruise. 

For Keeps

Linking with Joanne for Talking About It Tuesdays 

As I mentioned in my post yesterday I've flip flopped letters K and L this week, which means that while it's L Day everywhere else in the A-Z Blog Challenge, I'm here blogging letter K. It's fine. Off we go-

 
Day 12-K is for Kids and Their Stuff and Also Their 'Stuff'

I have grown kids, and for the sake of keeping things simple I'm going to refer to them here as kids. In reality they are full grown responsible adults, but it's easier to say kids. 

Plus they're my kids. 

Hubs and I recently made a dent in the great attic clean out and much of what we have stored there belongs to our kids. Or it did at one time, when they were actual kids, and we their parents have hung on to things we thought they might want one day or that we couldn't bear to part with way back when. 

My granddaughters are going to love this glam Barbie who is fully clothed and still has a head full of beautifully coiffed hair. Such is not the case for all the Barbies I kept. 

Quite a few of the things in these attic boxes are mementos from our girl's childhood and teen years. There were yearbooks, ballet slippers, piggy banks, knick knacks and more. 

What do we do with it now? 

We went through a lot of this when we moved from the UK back to the states in 2009 and my girls were college students. The boxes had all been in storage for several years while we were overseas and it was fun to open them up and rediscover so many treasures.

Some junk too because one man's treasure is another man's junk, right? 

We re-boxed a lot of it because they were young and single and the future was way out there and who knows, maybe we'll want that kaboodle or the doll that was won at the fair?

Suddenly (not really) nearly twenty years have sailed by and my kids have kids which makes it a little bit easier to say keep this, toss that. 4th Grade report card? Toss. I mean it's fun to look over, but there's no real need to keep it beyond that. We've consolidated everything but the American Girl Dolls and all their furniture and accessories into one box for each daughter. They can decide for themselves what they deem worthy of keeping. 

The rest feels much easier to part with now than it did back then.  

But what about the other 'stuff' we parents love to hold on to when it comes to our kids? The things they deal with in life that we as their parents, the people who love them most, want to take on, fix, smooth, resolve...what about those things? 

I was brainstorming with my daughter2 about words I might match to the various letters in the challenge and I casually said something about how I might like to talk about grown kids and not taking on their stuff and she, a little too quickly I might add, started nodding her head, saying yes that. 

Hey now. I've come a long way in this department. A very long way, and that's the first thing I'd tell those who are a little bit behind me in the parenting game. It's a process. I have responsible, solid, well adjusted daughters and they manage their lives very well, but still sometimes my brain wants my mouth to chime in...

Have you figured out what to do about the dog while you're away? Your kids had the measles vaccine right? Measles are back ya know. Should you be traveling out of the country with the state of things as they are currently? Have you thought about this that the other?? 

Hubs and I are a good team in this department because we don't seem to be concerned about the same things at the same time. This allows us to keep one another in check. I tell him 'that's not our donut' and he tells me to 'let them figure it out'. 

We're parents. We'll never not care, right? Here are two things I remind myself of when I'm tempted to intervene...

1. I remind myself what it felt like to be a 35-year old mother of two. Did I want my mom piling on to my worries or telling me I should do A-B-C when I thought X-Y-Z was best? Or did I want my mom to say she was proud of how I was managing all the things there are to manage in any given season? 

2. I remind myself that as much as I love my girls God loves them more. That He has a plan for their lives and His ways are higher and better than my ways. I pray He opens doors, closes doors, protects, emboldens, and that they listen as He speaks into their lives. 

We all learn by doing, sometimes failing, but often succeeding beyond our wildest dreams. 

Once upon a time, I was a young mom who loved to cook, who dreamed of cooking alongside my girls. Tucked into one of those attic boxes I found an old cookbook-

Inside the cover was a love note, written in cursive to my three-year-old daughter who wasn't even old enough to read.

The note was written by a momma who somehow knew one far away day in the future, a box would be opened and that little girl, now a grown married woman with children of her own, would read those words and feel the love behind them.

That little girl cooks with her children now. 

I hope she adds her own note to the page. 

Weekend ReKap

I know I'm supposed to blog the letter K today, but my thoughts on the word I've chosen for that particular letter might run long, so I'm flipping the alphabet on it's head. 

Letter L today, letter K tomorrow. 

It's my blog and I'm the boss of me. 

You'll find my A to Z Blog Challenge entry for the letter L somewhere in this post. I can't say exactly where because it's a blog as you go kind of day.

Linking this post with Holly (Pink Lady) and Sarah (Sunshine and Books) for their regularly scheduled Hello Monday party. Here we go-

Friday morning I spent a few hours with my daughter1 at her house. The kids played quietly upstairs and I conned her into straightening my hair. My girls know how much I love for them to do this for me and she took her time and I think actually enjoyed it a little. We were able to chat about all manner of things while she worked and it was such a nice relaxed morning. Very spa like. 

Friday afternoon I played mah jong at a neighbor's house with about ten other women and that's always fun. I got home about five and hubs and I went for sushi which was delish. 

We came home and watched the Artemis coverage. I was almost hyperventilating waiting on those divers to get them out of that capsule. That felt more stressful than ten days in space to me. All that bobbing 🤢

Did you follow the space story last week? I thought it was exciting and I loved the astronauts boldly pointing to Jesus...'there are no atheists in foxholes and there are none on rockets either'. 

Saturday morning I was up early, got my car loaded, and was on the road by 7:15  to make the drive over the mountain to the Asheville area. I was meeting up with some bloggers for the day, only one of whom I'd met in person before. 

They were staying in a little air bnb and there was supposed to be five bloggers there, but Jenn ended up not feeling well Friday morning so she didn't make the trip. Boo. I met Marilyn in Chattanooga back in September and she mentioned they might come my direction this year. Once the location was decided she messaged asking if I'd like to drive over and join them on Saturday, which was an easy yes. 

Have you met any bloggers in person? I've met about a dozen now and all of these meet ups have been so nice. Everyone was exactly who they seemed to be on their blog and that's reassuring. This weekend it was Marilyn (Memphis Bridges), Joanne (Slices of Life), Maria (Memorable Moments and Modest Missives), and Tanya (The Other Side of the Road). 

All of these bloggers participate in the Wednesday Hodgepodge and it was so much fun to meet in real life. The day was full of talking, and really what more would you expect from a group of people who love words? 

I arrived about 8:30 with a quiche and a coffee cake and we all had breakfast together. The morning flew and it was almost 1 PM before we looked at the clock and decided we needed to get out of the house. We drove just a few minutes down the road, or rather up the road and around and around as the route to the overlook was winding and steep. 

Gotta take in the view when you're surrounded by the Blue Ridge.  

We snapped some pictures, then took a short walk on a path through the woods and then everyone was hot and needed ice cream. 

We went to a spot called Celtic Creamery and the ice cream was really good. The original Celtic Creamery is in Ireland but they have a few shops here in America too, all in North Carolina. After ice cream we walked down main street and wandered in to a couple of shops, including Mast General which is always a fun stop. 

We headed back to the house about 5 and I said my goodbyes and headed for home. Such a great day! 

Hubs had a busy day too, beginning with a sporting clay contest, lunch with friends, and then the grand boys baseball game. Pretty sure he managed a nap right after. I was home by 6:30 and we had an easy dinner of pizza and salad and called it an early night. 

Sunday morning we went to church, then took daughter1 and little miss out to brunch. My son-in-law and the boys went straight from church to the Clemson baseball game so they didn't join us. Hubs and I spent the afternoon watching The Masters which was exciting this year. Going in person one day is still on my bucket list, so maybe someday. 

And now for tomorrow's today's letter in the April A-Z Blog Challenge...

Day 11-L is for Lily of the Valley 

My theme for this year's challenge is The Things We Keep: An A-Z of Ordinary Objects, and today I'm stepping outside my house and into my yard with these-

Lily of the Valley 

These started life in hubs grandma's garden in Bellville Illinois more than 60 years ago. Hubs parents then took some from that house to their home in Kentucky, then later to their home in Tennessee and then to another home in Tennessee and then a few years later hubs brought some of those to our home in South Carolina. 

I love the history, the family connection and the sweetness of these tiny blooms. We'll divide ours at some point and give to our girls to grow in their gardens and hopefully keep the love blooming for generations to come. 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 649

Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Hop back here on Wednesday (April 15) to share your answers. See you there! 

1. Big week in the US of A...do you do your own taxes? What's something you've found 'taxing' lately? 

2. When it comes to travel are you a last minute packer or a lay it all out a week in advance type? Do you struggle to pack light? Share a packing tip that has worked for you. 

3. April is National Grilled Cheese Month. Hmmm...who knew it got its own month? Do you like a grilled cheese sandwich? What ingredient do you add to take yours to the next level? 

4. There's a well known quote that says-

'A ship in the harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are built for." John A. Shedd  

Is constant growth necessary or do you think it's more important to prioritize stability and peace in your life? 

5. Let's wrap this up with a fun spring this or that-

• daffodils or tulips
• lemonade or iced tea
• gardening or hiking
• ladybugs or butterflies 
• umbrella or raincoat
• floral patterns or polka dots

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Just Write

 I don't normally blog on the weekends, but it's April so Saturday blogging it is...

Day 10-J is for Journals 

Did you keep a diary when you were a child? What about now? Do you journal? Have a blog? 

I use my blog as a form of journaling, although I think all bloggers would agree not everything in your life is meant to be shared in a public forum. Hard as it is to believe there are many things going on in my life and in my head that don't make it on to the blog. 

I do love this space though, and I love blogging. I love the connections I've made with people through my blog, the things I've learned, and the encouragement I've received. But I also have a journal. 

Actually I have a whole stack of journals dating back to my earliest days of motherhood. I grabbed three off the pile and snapped a photo but there's more where they came from.  

I don't write in a journal every day, and sometimes it's just a sentence or two, something I read that stayed with me, notes on a sermon or bible study I'm doing, maybe venting about something that I need to vent about but don't want to actually vent in person, and a lot of swirling thoughts and observations about life are all recorded on these pages. 

There's a quote (attributed I think to Flannery O'Connor)  that says something along the lines of, 'I don't know what I think until I read what I write', and that feels very true for me. Journaling helps me make sense of things that don't always make sense. I especially love reading back years later on what I've written, and seeing how something played out, or if I still feel the same way now as I did then. 

I keep my journals, but do I keep them forever? I can't imagine throwing one away, but do I want my girls reading them someday? I'm honestly not sure. Would I want to read my mother's journals? I'd definitely be curious, but there's something about the idea that feels like invading her privacy on a pretty grand scale too. 

So what say you? Would you pass them on to your children's children or burn them in the backyard firepit? 

Getting The Wrinkles Out

 We're officially one third of the way through the alphabet with today's letter. Carry on A-Zers...

Day 9-I is for Iron 

Do you have an iron? Do you use it? This might seem like a funny question because doesn't everyone iron? 

No. No they do not. 

Recently there was a question relating to ironing in my weekly Hodgepodge link up and I was surprised at how many people said they never iron, that they haven't ironed anything in years. They just use a wrinkle release or buy clothing made of fabric that doesn't require ironing and I was left scratching my head. 

My daughter2 informed me recently that she actually has two irons. She needed to iron something one day and couldn't find hers so thought maybe she'd gotten rid of it in a move (obviously she wasn't ironing often) so she was forced to buy another. Then she found the one she thought was gone and now has two. Not sure she irons enough to warrant having two irons, but we visit and we iron so we're glad she owns one. Not everybody does. 

She also told me when she got it out to iron something her children were mesmerized. Apparently they had never laid eyes on this particular appliance. 

My hubs would not last a week without an iron. He likes things crisp. Not nearly as much as he did when we were first married, or in all those years he wore a suit and tie to work, but even in retirement he still isn't one to wear a wrinkled shirt. My mother always loved telling the story of being at our house one time when hubs was still working, still wearing real shirts (none of that casual Friday nonsense) and she watched my husband take a freshly starched shirt out of the plastic bag the cleaners had put it in, and iron it just a little bit more. True story. 

So what does this have to do with my theme? Well obviously I own an iron and obviously it's something I'm going to keep, but also it's a tough letter and when I started thinking about what to choose this word came to mind. There's something satisfying about running a hot iron over a crease running down the front of a shirt and seeing it disappear. 

I remember my mama setting up her ironing board in our den. She'd put it as low as it would go and set a chair behind it and have a stack of clothes to iron beside her. She'd also have her spray starch and distilled water and she might watch a little tv while she ironed. I honestly don't remember my mother watching tv when I was growing up except when she was tackling this chore. 

Maybe she appreciated sitting down for an hour? 

My dad was in the Marine Corps and my mom ironed his uniforms to perfection. She ironed a lot of tablecloths too and took such care in doing the job. Ironing a tablecloth is tedious. I send my tablecloths to the cleaners, and it's rare for me to iron a huge stack of anything in a single sitting. We're an iron as you go household so if I'm planning to wear something that needs to be ironed I do it then. 

Thinking about my mama sitting behind her ironing board is a picture of homemaking I don't think we see a lot these days. I suppose when I picture my mama ironing I think of it as one of the very many ways she showed love to her family. 

And that's a memory worth keeping.