Love In Motion

I spent a chunk of last week at my Daughter2's house in Tennessee while she and her hubs were on a cruise around the Greek Islands. Swoon! 

Let's pause for a quick sidebar-

That now married momma of two pictured above made a trip to Greece when she was 14 years old. The girls loved swimming in the sea, tasting octopus for the first time, shopping in the market, seeing the historic sites, eating their weight in yummy Greek salads, and roasting under the white hot August Athenian sun. 

Such a fun week for all of us. 

Carry on. 

Daughter2 and her hubs had planned their trip as a bit of a mile marker anniversary celebration (5 years), and because of the distance and travel involved their time away was about ten days. When she first mentioned the trip to me I'm pretty sure my first reaction was, 'TEN DAYS!! WHO'S WATCHING THE KIDS FOR TEN DAYS?!!" 

Yes, in all caps. 

Sometimes things come out of my mouth and I wish I could rewind, but there I said it because seriously, who is watching the kids for TEN days??? As it turns out the plan from the get go was her in-laws would cover five days and we'd cover five days. 

Much better. 

You know once upon a time I was a speech pathologist with over 75 students on my caseload and now I panic at the thought of being responsible for two that are related to me for ten days. Ha. True story though. 

Her two littles are, in a word, busy. Also lightning fast, stinkin' adorable, chatty, curious, and lovable. Keeping up with them requires a clear head and the endurance of a marathon runner. These days I have neither, but I am the Nana and Nanas can do hard things for the people we love. Plus hubs is a great teammate and has an endless array of tricks, funny faces, funny voices, creativity, and muscle so all is well. 

Except! Hubs as you know sells real estate on the lake and he's been working with an out of state client for several weeks who, as timing would have it, would be coming to the lake the very weekend we would be in Tennessee. Bother.  

I mean it's fine because he put a lot of work in for the client and needed that in person time with him, but also it meant I'd be on my own for the last two days of keeping everyone in high spirits until mom and dad came home. 

The thought was daunting. This is how you know you're not young anymore. 

As it turned out everyone did great, the kids too lol. Their momma had left a little gift for them to open each day and I brought a couple of things with me so we'd have new things to play with and distract us. 

Hubs and I drove over to Tennessee last Tuesday and we had one night there with the in-laws still in the house. We enjoy them very much and it was nice to catch up with them once the kiddos went to bed. We ordered pizza for dinner because everyone loves pizza and chatted before calling it an early night. 

Sleep is key. 

They left first thing Wednesday morning and hubs and I took the grands to the Creative Discovery Museum.  Wait. First hubs dropped their dog at daycare. Did I tell you we also had their dog? And our dog? And our dog is not feeling his best these days which makes us wobbly. 

If your kids are not yet married, just know one day you'll be taking care of their dog. That's how it works. 

The Discovery Museum is fabulous. We arrived just as it was opening and beat the crowds that my daughter told me come later. It's really well done, organized, clean, child focused, and lots of space for imaginative play.

Sugar would have been happy to feed and rock baby dolls all day long in the housekeeping section. 

We were home for lunch and then rest and I'd planned ahead and made a pan of chicken divan before I left the lake, so dinner just needed heating and eating. 

Thursday morning the kids have swimming lessons and we were almost late because you forget how long it takes to get out of the house with all the things, plus the kids, plus getting everyone into the car seats, etc. But we made it and hubs got in the pool with them so I was able to just cheer from the sidelines. 

One gift my daughter left was a gift card for donuts so we stopped after swimming and got donuts in this lovely shopping center very close to their home. There's a really nice common area in the center and we let the kids run and play and coincidentally one of their neighbors was there too so all the kids had fun together. 

Afternoons were mostly rest and outside play and usually a show watched while we got dinner ready. Friday morning was meet the teacher day at their new preschool and I told hubs to go ahead and get on the road back to the lake and I'd be fine managing this. And I was. Such a sweet school and everyone's excited. 

We left there and I stopped at Publix to pick up subs for lunch and popsicles because August needs popsicles, and then it was home for the afternoon. I'd brought a new Young, Wild and Friedman play dough kit with me (Reptiles) and I cannot say enough about how wonderful these kits are. I brought that out Friday afternoon and they played with it for a couple of hours Friday, twice on Saturday, and again on Sunday. 

There was a lot of rain over the weekend, but we managed to get outside some each day. We went to the neighborhood pool one day and I took them for ice cream Saturday afternoon. We took a walk each evening which they enjoyed and it seemed to make them more ready for baths and bedtime. I know it did me.  

I arrived home Monday afternoon with two broken fingernails, a mystery bruise on my leg, in dire need of a nap, and a full heart. I love that we're able to give the parents a break now and then. I remember how much I appreciated and needed that when I was in the heavy lifting years of parenting and I want to pay that forward now that I'm the grandparent. 

I think it’s important to make memories together as a family, but also to make time for each other as a couple. Getting away from the everyday craziness of work, parenting, keeping up with the house, and everything else gives mom and dad a chance to reconnect and just enjoy being together.

One of the best ways to keep a family happy and whole is to temporarily escape from them, miss them, recharge, and come back refreshed and eager to resume the routines of daily life. Opa!

It's The Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. For bookkeeping purposes...last week was Volume 665 and next week will be Volume 667. 

Also, I don't actually keep books here. 

Anyway...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 before you run off. Here we go...

1. I saw a meme on Instagram that went like this-'The movie Dirty Dancing came out in 1987 and was set in 1963, so if remade in 2026 it would be set in 2002. Now I need a little lie down in a dark room for a while." 

Time is crazy isn't it? So...what were you up to in the year 2002? 

I'm going to show great restraint in how many pictures I post. But we need a few, right? 

Living in Maryland. We had a boat and were out on it every weekend. We had friends with boats and we'd all raft up together. Lots of fun! 

I was working as the Director of a church Preschool and Kindergarten, and our girls were in grades 7 and 9. I have to say that makes me feel a little bit ancient. 

We got a puppy that year. A Gordon Setter we called the supermodel, the life of the party, and the absolute sweetest pup ever. 

Hubs and I went to St. Lucia for a reward trip with work colleagues. 

We took a family vacation to the Outer Banks of NC and rented a big house in Duck with four other families. 

We went camping a couple of times. Tent camping which we loved. 

We had a really fun family trip to St. Thomas for Thanksgiving.  

And it was another tender Tennessee Christmas spent with hubs family. 

2. "Me? I'm scared of everything..." What's something that scares you that you'd like to try anyway? 

I feel like this kind of question wants bungee jumping or sky diving or some other physical kind of crazy feat as an answer, but those are not things I've ever had a desire to do. 

How about camping with toddlers? Is that scary? I think it would be the fun sort of scary. 

If I dig a little deeper I'd say being bolder in speaking the truth with courage, and sharing my beliefs without holding back.

3. Watermelon-yay or nay? Which melon is your favorite-watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew Of the watermelon food/beverages listed which would you say yes to...

watermelon salsa~watermelon feta salad~watermelon sorbet~

a watermelon Jolly Rancher~a watermelon margarita 

I love watermelon, all melons really , but especially watermelon. Of the food/beverages listed the only one I'd pass on is the Jolly Rancher. As much as I love watermelon I don't love watermelon 'flavored' candies. 

4. August 12th is National Middle Child Day. Are you a middle child? If not, where do you fall in the birth order in your family of origin? Do you think this has influenced your personality? Elaborate. 

There are four children in my family of origin so no real middle. 

Except I do consider myself a middle because three of the four are girls and I'm the middle girl. I have an older sister and a younger sister and then an older brother, but as the only boy and king he doesn't count lol. 

I have a lot of the traits typically associated with middle children which include being "adaptable, easygoing, and independent people who excel at compromise". Middle children are often the peacemakers and that is very much me. Middle children are said to have high self-reliance which can be both good and bad, but my most uttered phrase as a child was-"I can do it myself" so you be the judge. 

I have a 2-yo granddaughter about whom I think you could say, 'the apple does not fall far from the proverbial tree', ahem. 

5. Would you rather talk to everyone at a crowded party for a short time, or have a significant conversation with two people? Explain. 

Probably the second, significant conversations with a couple of people. Huge parties aren't really my thing, but give me a dinner party for 6 or 8 and I'm a happy hostess (or guest). 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Speaking of time passing...

Happy Wednesday everyone! 

Words And Pictures

Hello and happy Monday. I intend to do a catch up maybe tomorrow, or maybe Thursday, or if not then sometime, but not today. Today I'm making the trek back to the lake after a week spent watching my Tennessee grands. 

Not for the faint of heart. 

Also, highly recommend. 10/10. Except when it's not, but it's for sure mostly 10/10. Grandparents reading here are nodding because iykyk. 

Keeping it easy today with a few random snaps that I'm linking with Kym's most recent Everyday Images Photo Prompts. Linking too with Holly and Sarah because it's Monday and some of these pics are weekend related. Today's photo prompts are:

at home (monthly)~in my cup~path ~Tuesday tranquility~ summer~golden hour~

out for a walk (quarterly)

at home (monthly)-

We had a few friends for dinner on a recent Thursday evening and it was a lot of fun. There were twelve of us and everyone brought something. Hubs grilled a cut of meat called a Teres Major and served it with cowboy butter and horseradish on the side. We'd never tried this particular cut before, but the butcher suggested it and we loved it. It's said to be second only to the filet in terms of tenderness and we would agree. 

I also made stuffed shells filled with a mixture of cheeses and zucchini and we had yummy appetizers, a delicious and refreshing white bean salad, a cucumber tomato salad, and blueberry cobbler for dessert. 

This outdoor dining space is one of my new favorite spots 'at home'. 

in my cup-

I rarely drink soda anymore. Almost never. Unless I'm in charge of a two-year old and a four-year old whose parents have been out of town for ten days, then all bets are off. 

This was my last night in charge. A glass of wine sounded nice, but I needed to keep my wits about me so opted for caffeine instead. 

path-

I snapped a picture of this cool piece by the artist Baggs McKelvey at the Discovery Museum in Chattanooga Tennessee. She primarily does large scale, site-specific installations using a variety of materials, which in this case is toy cars. 

Tuesday tranquility-

last Tuesday...

We were en route to Tennessee and stopped for lunch at a tiki bar sort of place about halfway to our destination. The restaurant sits across the street from a popular lake and is all open air which was nice. We had our pup with us so it was lunch in a covered outdoor space for the win. 

summer-

My daughter's garden is bustin' at the seams and we've had so much heavy crazy rain while I've been here that her tomatoes have been overwatered. I'm doing my best to pick and the kids eat them almost as fast as I get them in the bowl. Still we're not keeping up.  

Her okra got ridiculously ginormous overnight. Not sure if these jumbos will taste any good but the kids were impressed. The flowers on the okra plants are so pretty. 

We can't pick the blackberries fast enough. It's also been really wet so I haven't tended the bushes the way I would have if everything wasn't soaked, but we've eaten our share of these beauties too. 

One more summer snapshot, no explanation needed...

golden hour-the golden hour is defined as the first hour after sunrise and the first hour before sunset. It's when the sun sits low in the sky and creates a soft warm glow. If you read here at all then you know this is my favorite time of day to snap a picture. Here's the most recent-

And then just a couple minutes later...

out for a walk (quarterly)-

Pawpaw and one of his grandgirls...

The grandgirls adore their pawpaw. I hope once in your life someone greets you the way these little girls greet their pawpaw when he walks through the door. It's literally life giving. 

I enjoy these photo prompts which are posted every other Thursday.  Hop over to Kym's for a new batch this week. I do have a few grandparent-y related thoughts to share still so will get to that one day this week. Happy Monday everyone! 

This Week's Hodgepodge Questions

Last week was Volume 665 and next week will be Volume 667. You're welcome : ) 

And you know the drill. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here on Wednesday (August 12th) to share answers. See you there-

1. I saw a meme on Instagram that went like this-'The movie Dirty Dancing came out in 1987 and was set in 1963, so if remade in 2026 it would be set in 2002. Now I need a little lie down in a dark room for a while." 

Time is crazy isn't it? So...what were you up to in the year 2002? 

2. "Me? I'm scared of everything..." What's something that scares you that you'd like to try anyway? 

3. Watermelon-yay or nay? Which melon is your favorite-watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew. Of the watermelon food/beverages listed which would you say yes to...

watermelon salsa~watermelon feta salad~watermelon sorbet~

a watermelon Jolly Rancher~a watermelon margarita 

4. August 12th is National Middle Child Day. Are you a middle child? If not, where do you fall in the birth order in your family of origin? Do you think this has influenced your personality? Elaborate. 

5. Would you rather talk to everyone at a crowded party for a short time, or have a significant conversation with two people? Explain. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Share Your Shelf-July

It's the first Thursday of the month which means it's time to share what we've read the month prior. Here's what I read in July-

The Burning Side by Sarah Damoff-

I loved this one. This is the author's second novel and I love her writing. Her first novel The Bright Years was also really good, but I liked this one more. 

An emotional family drama that begins with a house on fire, both literally and figuratively. Leo and April Torres flee their burning home with their two small children and the problems of their troubled marriage. They set up temporary living in April's childhood home with her parents whom they adore. I don't want to say too much more about the plot as this is a book that unfolds gradually, in a way that feels natural and satisfying to the reader. 

The novel is told from the perspectives of both April and Leo as well as April's mother Deb. The characters are complex and woven together in a way that's tender and moving. Themes of abandonment, caregiving, parenting, forgiveness, the meaning of home, and lasting love are all part of this well written novel. 

Mad Mabel  by Sally Hepworth  

Set in Australia and told in a dual timeline format, this is the story of Mabel at age 81, and of the child and adolescent Mabel, as told from her point of view. At the age of fifteen Mabel was the youngest Australian to be convicted of murder. 

In the present day, when Mabel's elderly neighbor dies in his kitchen and she discovers the body, she is once again thrust into the spotlight and once again becomes the object of much unwanted attention and suspicion. When a pair of Youtube journalists approach Mabel with an offer to tell her story she accepts. She hopes that by telling her story in her own words she'll put the attention to rest. 

I enjoyed this one a lot, there are some unexpected pieces to the story, humor mixed with sadness, and overall I found it to be a great read. 

Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck

Travels With Charley was one of the books mentioned in The Correspondent, and I've been working my way through the the 40 or so titles mentioned in that novel that I hadn't previously read. This was one of them. In fact, I'd never heard of this particular book, although I've read a lot of Steinbeck.  

In 1960 author John Steinbeck drove a customized camper truck he named Rocinante (a nod to Don Quixote) approximately 10,000 miles around the outer edges of the US of A. His traveling companion was a standard poodle named Charley. 

Steinbeck's purpose in taking the road trip was to reconnect with real Americans and the landscape of a country he felt he'd lost touch with in recent years. He explains that much of what he knew of America was specific to major cities and he wanted to really earn the title 'American author'. 

The book reads like a travelogue and leaves you wanting a road trip, although maybe not one that lasts 75 days. After finishing the book I discovered there are some elements of fiction (maybe embellishement is a better word) added for the sake of making it more readable, but I didn't mind that. 

The book is engaging and in some ways dated, but not so much that it's not enjoyable. 

A Pearl Of A 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 there before you. Here we go-

1. What's something on your August calendar you're looking forward to? Or dreading if that's easier to answer. 

Time with my Tennessee grands, friends and family coming to hang out on the lake later this month, and dinner with friends at a Michelen Star restaurant where we were finally able to snag a reservation. 

2. August 5th is National Oyster Day...do you partake? How do you feel about pearls? 

I like oysters and we have them on occasion. We don't fix them at home, but will order out if we're in a place that serves them. My son-in-law grills them and those are good too. True story- when we visited friends on Prince Edward Island  we went out with an oysterman and he pulled one out of the water and popped it into my mouth before I knew what was happening. 

I love pearls. They're one of my favorite gemstones and I have a set hubs bought for me in China and another set he bought for me in Japan. In the south pearls go with everything and I wear mine as often as I can. 

3. Tell us about a time when you felt like 'the world was your oyster'. 

There were those golden years when I was just out of university, just starting out in my career, just starting out in marriage, where it felt like so much was possible and the world was my oyster. 

In more recent years I'm going to say a road trip somewhere new. 

I love getting in the car and driving with perhaps a final destination in mind, but not rushing to get there, and having no real specific agenda for what we'll see and do along the way. Oh, there might be a few highlights or popular points of interest we don't want to miss, but I love the idea of enjoying the ride, stopping if something peaks our interest, and being open to getting off the beaten path to see what we can see. Those sorts of trips give me the feeling I think this saying implies. 

4. Trip Advisor lists seven islands in the US that require no passport (for US citizens). If you're answering today from outside the US you'll still need to produce yours. An-y-way, have you been to any of the seven? Let's pretend you get an all expense paid trip to one this month...which one do you choose and why? 

Catalina Island California~Martha's Vineyard Massachusetts~Mackinac Island Michigan~Key West Florida~South Padre Island Texas~or Kauai Hawaii

I've been to Key West more than once,  but not to any of the other islands listed. I love the Keys but prefer Marathon to Key West. The sunsets in the Keys are spectacular. 

Hubs and I had a really fun trip to Duck Key which is near Marathon one year. It was the start of lobster season and hubs went diving and brought back dinner. A local restaurant cooked them for us. 

Plus I got to do this which was exciting.  

As far as which one on the list I'd most want to see I'll take the all expense paid trip to Mackinac Island please. I've never been and it's a spot that's on my want- to-see list. 

5. Sylvia Plath is credited with the following- 

"August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time."

Agree or disagree? In other words, how do you feel about this month? 

Growing up August was firmly planted in summer and there was no confusion about that. School started after Labor Day and we were still squeezing in all the summer fun we could in August. 

Today maybe that's not so clear, but on the lake it's still summer. The lake is less busy too because schools start so early, and kids are back into all their sports practices, so the gentler weekends on the water are nice. 

Come Labor Day I'll shift into all things autumn, even if the thermometer says otherwise. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I read a thought provoking post on Instagram recently which I'm linking here-The Slow Death of the Beauty Of The World.  I think it's worth a read if you can access it. 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 665

Hello Hodgepodgers. I have a very busy week ahead where I’m responsible for tiny humans, so there likely won't be much blogging here other than the Hodgepodge. Can't miss that now can I? Here are the questions to this week's random. Answer on your own blog then hop back here on Wednesday (August 5th) and add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. What's something on your August calendar you're looking forward to? Or dreading if that's easier to answer. 

2. August 5th is National Oyster Day...do you partake? How do you feel about pearls? 

3. Tell us about a time when you felt like 'the world was your oyster'. 

4. Trip Advisor lists seven islands in the US that require no passport (for US citizens). If you're answering today from outside the US you'll still need to produce yours. An-y-way, have you been to any of the seven? Let's pretend you get an all expense paid trip to one this month...which one do you choose and why? 

Catalina Island California~Martha's Vineyard Massachusetts~Mackinac Island Michigan~Key West Florida~South Padre Island Texas~or Kauai Hawaii

5. Sylvia Plath is credited with the following- 

"August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time."

Agree or disagree? In other words, how do you feel about this month? 

6. Insert your own random thought here.