Monday, October 27, 2025

Hello Monday. Also Last Tuesday Wednesday, Thursday.

Mondays are when I link with Holly and Sarah for their weekend recaps, but since all of last week felt like the weekend, I'm going to start with last Monday, and hit the whole week's highlights. 

Of which there were many. 

You'll need coffee. 

Friends we hadn't seen in a decade arrived Monday afternoon, their first trip to the lake. Since the weather was so nice we went for a short boat ride, then hung out at home and hubs grilled steaks for dinner.

We had a leisurely late breakfast on Tuesday, then took the boat all the way up to the dam.

 

It's a long ride, and we don't go that far very often, but another beautiful day weather wise so really enjoyable. 

Later we went into town for the 'grand tour' then stopped at a local distillery for drinks and apps. This a newer venue and it's always a fun stop. We went across the road to an Italian restaurant for dinner and ran into two different couples we know. Small town livin' is the best. 

Our guests left around noon on Wednesday and hubs and I declared that afternoon our day date. It was the only real window of time we had the entire week so carpe diem. 

We walked. 

That might not sound like much of a 'date', but small moments are what you make them. 

Also, I haven't really walked in months and the doc said to start slow and easy so we went to a local park and walked their flat path that runs through the woods and around the ball fields. I wore my new shoes and it all felt okay. I'm getting a shot in two weeks so hoping that knocks out the remaining pain. 

Anyway, it was nice. Day date episode 4. Check. 

Not that it's a check list but counting helps us stay on track. 

Thursday I worked my usual volunteer stint, then hurried home to make snacks and set up for guests. We have new neighbors hubs and I had not yet met, but a mutual friend let us know about them because they're from her home town in Illinois. So on Thursday we had them all here for happy hour along with our next door neighbors. 

We did heavy hors d'oeuvres by the waterfall. The weather was wonderful and it was so nice to sit outside. We turned the fire table on once it got dark and passed out blankets for anyone who needed one. It was a fun little gathering.  

And now... the weekend. Finally. 

Daughter2's father-in-law celebrated a milestone birthday recently and my son-in-law organized a fun weekend at a Georgia quail hunting venue. My son-in-law's brother drove up from Florida and met them there. The father-in-law was driving from a nearby state and was going to pick up hubs at a meet up spot just off the interstate to save him the extra time it would take for him to come to the lake, and then have to backtrack. 

Are you following? 

I was driving hubs to the meet up spot at the crack of dawn so I threw on my cozy earth comfy wear and off we went. As we were driving to the meet up spot (about 45 minutes away) a warning light came on in my car saying there was a transmission issue and don't stop the car or it might not restart. Sigh. 

I dropped hubs and went directly to the dealer another thirty minutes away. They were already busy but were so nice and said they'd figure it out. They put a little computer thingy-ma-bob in the car and voila! It's not the transmission. I needed a new battery, plus 'as long as you're here...' 

I ended up getting an oil change, several filters, and some brake fluid. They said it would take about two hours so I settled in to their comfy lounge, in my comfy clothes, drank their delicious hot coffee and watched HGTV on their big screen while I waited. It seems you can buy shoes and luggage while you wait but I opted for coffee only. 

These little minis were  pretty tempting as I know the grands would love them, but one unexpected car bill is enough. 

When I knew I'd have a whole weekend to myself I imagined spending the whole day Friday taking care of stuff at home. Oh well. Sometimes life throws a punch and ya gotta deal. 

I stopped at daughter1's house on the way home because she was having a small party for Little Miss who turned three on Thursday. (Her birthday letter from Nana aka me, is here-Ode To A Wildflower). There was a mermaid theme, nothing over the top but my daughter did put together this super cute balloon arch. The littles all happily played together and there was lunch and cupcakes and a color sheet tablecloth we moms all enjoyed lol. 

I left before the party ended because the pup had been cooped up all day and needed to be freed and fed. I ate popcorn for dinner and stayed up too late watching tv. Not a super productive day, unless of course you count preventing a future breakdown on some country road as being productive, which I do, so maybe in hindsight it was a good day overall. 

Saturday I had plans to meet a long time friend who lives one state over for lunch. We meet halfway and catch up in person now and then, which is so nice. No pics but lots of gabbing. 

After lunch I came home and let the dog out, fed him, let him relax for about an hour, then went back to Daughter1's for a family dinner with the birthday girl, her siblings, and my son-in-law's mom, plus his sister and brother-in-law and their precious new baby. 

While my son-in-law grilled our actual dinner Little Miss made me pretend dinner in the adorable new kitchen her momma and daddy got her for her birthday. We had the best time making 'soup' and discussing the menu options. 

We ate our real dinner and enjoyed the beautiful strawberry cake my daughter made, then I headed home to the pup. He was not happy hubs went hunting without him. 

Sunday I laid low because I was exhausted. For real. Hubs got home about two and we had an early dinner/late lunch of roasted red pepper soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. I worked on my blog and did a little laundry while hubs napped. 

And  that was the week. And also the weekend. This week looks somewhat crazy too but October in recent years seems to be busier than May and December. Am I wrong about that? 

So what fun things did you do this weekend? 

If you want to share jump over to the Hello Monday link party happening today. Have a nice week everyone! 

Sunday, October 26, 2025

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 626

Here are the questions to the mid-week Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here on Wednesday (October 29th) to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. Are you a risk taker? To what degree? 

2. What's your favorite candy? Would you say you have a sweet tooth? 

3. Somewhere you've been recently that had you feeling 'like a kid in a candy store'? 

4. What do you think is the most effective way to make a positive change in the world? 

5. Do you like surprises? 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Friday, October 24, 2025

Ode To A Wildflower

A birthday letter for my granddaughter...

Dear Little Miss, 

Today you are three. You tell us you prefer age two, and while we love to give you everything you want, time marches on and now you are three. 

Whew. Where do I begin? How do I describe what you're like in this most magical season of life? 

You're bright. You're hilarious. Your voice is just like your momma's was at that age-full of emotion and music. Your hair tumbles down your back in the most beautiful ringlets, the kind people stop and admire. 

You're shy in new places and with new people, but once you're comfortable you carry on the best conversations. You talk with your hands too, so full of life and feeling, and we could listen to you chatter all day long. 

Everything about you is precious. You wear your emotions right on your face, and we never have to wonder if you're happy, mad, or sad. You keep us all on our toes, and we can't remember our family without you in it.

You love to wear a crown, but will sometimes settle for a headband. You love all things pink, especially your pink velvet shoes, your pink dresses, your baby dolls Rosie and Ruby, Winnie the Pooh, and books.  A current favorite is Miss Lina's Ballerinas

I pray you always know how very much you are loved. Your momma and daddy positively beam when they look at you, and your big brothers think you hung the moon, even when you tell them exactly how things should be. 

And then there’s your Pawpaw...you've got him wrapped around your delicate little finger and tied with a pretty pink bow. When I watch you with him the world feels softer and sweeter than your favorite strawberry Starburst. 

Never lose that sweet sparkle in your eyes and that fierce little spirit that makes you you. I  pray your mom and dad, with wisdom, patience, and humor, direct that fierce little spirit and your tender heart to do great things for God's kingdom.  

You're our joy, our wonder, our firefly who brings sparkle to all our days. Happy birthday Little Miss... know your Nana loves you deep and wide xoxo 

"The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." Isaiah 58:11 

Wednesday, October 22, 2025

Orange You Glad It's 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 hop over and leave a comment for the blogger before you. Here we go- 

From this Side of the Pond
1. What do you like most about your family? 

It's hard to put in to words, but simply stated we fit together. We belong to each other. 

c. 1991


We have a shared history, language, way of seeing the world, and a sense of what it means to be part of a family that fills my heart completely.

c. 2002

I love that they're funny. I love that they're smart. I love that they're compassionate. I love that they love Jesus. 

c. 2015

I love that they place a high value on family.  

c. 2021

2. What's something nice that's happened to you recently? 

My daughter phoned to ask if I wanted to do something on Tuesday. She forgot we had company, but I love that she asked. 

3. Do you like the color orange? Besides a pumpkin and an actual orange, what's something orange you love?

I love the color orange. In the right place of course, and mostly as an accent, but yes I like the color a lot. What do I love that's orange? 


The Tennessee Volunteers. 

4.  What's something you have now you couldn't have imagined having five years ago? How does that make you feel? What's possible now because of it? 

Something I couldn't have imagined five years ago? Having a daughter living four miles away. 

How does it make me feel? Grateful, happy, in awe of God's goodness and the way he cares about the smallest details of our lives. 

What's possible now because of it? Grabbing coffee on a Tuesday morning, meeting at Hobby Lobby to shop for seasonal goodies, a spontaneous dinner after a grandson's soccer match, sitting side by side in a church pew every Sunday

5. Let's wrap this one up with an October this or that...

  • pumpkin bread or apple cider donut
                the apple cider donut please 
  • cozy sweater or cozy hoodie
                I like both, but will say a cozy hoodie on a cool fall evening
  • apple picking or pumpkin picking
                apple picking 
  • scary movie or Hallmark movie
                I'm not a huge fan of either, but since I don't watch scary movies at all I guess 
                Hallmark it is
  • hayride or corn maze
                hayride 
  • twinkle lights or candles
                I love both, but twinkle lights make any space feel magical
  • autumn hike or autumn bonfire 
                an autumn hike

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I've had company all week so getting this post in under the wire. 

Just a reminder I'm hosting a 'Day In The Life' link up for anyone who wants to participate on Thursday, November 13th. For details see my random thought in last week's Hodgepodge-A Freshly Painted Hodgepodge. 

Hoping this season is beautiful wherever you may be! 

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Day Dating Episode Three

Day date number three. To bring you up to speed we're aiming for 52 dates in 52 weeks. You'd think it would be pretty simple in retirement to make that happen, but sometimes it's a challenge here. 

Not all dates need to involve leaving town or an expensive meal, although stating for the record I'm not opposed to either of those things. The second half of October is jam packed so we opted for something in our own backyard last week. 

The lake. 

I know I'm like the blog world's version of your local weather reporter, but y'all the weather these past few weeks has been the nicest I can remember in all the falls we've lived here. Which would be nine!! 

Nine? Time flies. 

I talk about time flying almost as much as I talk about the weather. 

Anyway, back to our date. Somehow last week I'd scheduled my physical on Monday, the dentist on Wednesday, and then I had book club Tuesday afternoon and hubs was attending a work thing Tuesday evening so making space for a date required some figuring out. 

We persevered. 

I got home from the dentist around one on Wednesday and hubs had the boat ready to go. We had such a nice day. We rode north hoping to catch a bit of color, although it's still about a week away here. 

We passed some shoreline Halloween decor which was fun. 

We want to meet the people who live in this house. Not because of their Halloween decorations,  but because they have a wooden Chris Craft they've converted to a bar inside their house and we want a closer look. 

At one point we stopped in the middle of the lake and I did a 360 with my camera and did not see one other boat anywhere. It was like we had the lake all to ourselves. 

Later we did see a couple of fishermen, but mostly it was just me and the hubs. 

We had no agenda, just a ride on a sunny autumn day. We hung out at the mouth of a cove and listened to our Bible recap there which was nice too. 

And we took a selfie so we're 2 for 3 now. 

Monday, October 20, 2025

Hey There Monday

Good morning friends. We have a full full calendar on tap here this week with lots happening, including houseguests, meeting new neighbors, and a granddaughter celebrating a birthday. This morning though, I'm joining Holly and Sarah for their weekend recap link up. Here's how ours looked-


Backing up to Thursday because Thursdays are when I think the weekend should start. I volunteer on Thursdays and felt productive in dropping off both dry cleaning and a library book before 8:30 AM. My volunteer stint lasts from about 9-1, then I made one more quick stop before heading home. 


Hubs and I met up with Daughter1 and her family at Max's soccer match a little bit later. His team just keeps on winning and it was fun to watch them advance yet another day in the playoffs. After the game we all went to a local brew pub and had pizza and wings to celebrate. On our way from the soccer pitch to the restaurant we passed this field of cotton in full bloom. 


I'm not usually on this road so have never seen it before, but it was so pretty in the setting sun. I tried to snap a picture as we whizzed by, which isn't the best but it's all I managed. 


We had our first 'table fire' Friday morning. The weather has been absolutely spectacular, and we are spending as much time outside in it as we can. I stayed busy all day with phone calls, meal planning, grocery shopping, and laundry. Hubs played golf. His tee time wasn't until after one and he was playing an hour away so he was out pretty much all afternoon. 

I made a chicken pot pie for dinner and we watched a movie we thought we might have seen, but since neither of us could remember for sure, it was fine. Welcome to 'the third act'-ha! 

Saturday I washed all the slip covers for the chairs in our keeping room. Not gonna lie here...it's a job, but they come out beautifully, so it's worth doing from time to time. These chairs are where people naturally gravitate when they come in to my house, so they get a lot of use.  

There's a seat cushion, a seat back, and then the chair cover itself, all of which zip snuggly around the cushions inside, so it can be a wrestling match getting them off and especially back on. Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous day. I like to set the covers outside on a drying rack so wanted to take advantage of the sunshine.

We have company coming Monday and I'm glad this is done. Hubs washed his truck because that's what he loves to do on a sunny Saturday morning. 

Saturday afternoon we went to a party at a friend's house. So much fun! They had BBQ catered and best of all (aside from the glorious weather I mean) was the live music. Two local musicians who are both super talented, played for three solid hours, no breaks. We've seen them around town in one of the breweries and  some of the dining spots that feature live music, but this was in someone's back yard and felt extra.

The musicians performed on our friend's dock and then the party go-ers sat on the hillside above them. It was a great set up. 

Several boaters came by too, and listened in from the water, and we were kind of wishing we'd come by boat because it was a great night for it. 

Sadly not as great a night for football. We got home and caught most of the Tennessee-Alabama game. Ugh. The hometown team also lost so a double whammy. 

Sunday we woke up to rain, which we haven't had in a long while. We heard an excellent message at church, and hubs and I went to brunch right after. Then it was home to clean bathrooms and do some vacuuming so everything would be nice and tidy for our friends arriving Monday. Hubs and our houseguest worked together for a couple of decades+ and we haven't seen one another in a number of years. We're looking forward to showing them the lake and catching up in person. 

Have a great week everyone!

Sunday, October 19, 2025

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 625

Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here on Wednesday (October 22nd) to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. What do you like most about your family? 

2. What's something nice that's happened to you recently? 

3. Do you like the color orange? Besides a pumpkin and an actual orange, what's something orange you love?

4.  What's something you have now you couldn't have imagined having five years ago? How does that make you feel? What's possible now because of it? 

5. Let's wrap this one up with an October this or that...

  • pumpkin bread or apple cider donut
  • cozy sweater or cozy hoodie
  • apple picking or pumpkin picking
  • scary movie or Hallmark movie
  • hay ride or corn maze
  • twinkle lights or candles
  • autumn hike or autumn bonfire

6. Insert your own random thought here.