An Uncomplicated 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 go say hi to your neighbor there. 

1. What do you make more complicated than it needs to be? 

Perhaps a better question would be what DON'T I complicate? I know there are a number of shortcuts my girls have shown me on the computer/phone that I still do 'the long way' aka the less simple way, because old habits die hard. 

2. What impresses you? 

humility, courage, bold faith, quiet acts of generosity, and the sunrise

on a less serious note-raw musical talent and the Rockettes kick line

3. On a scale of 1-10 how picky of an eater are you?  (1=extremely and 10=not at all) If you had to eat a meal made entirely of one color what color would you choose? 

How picky am I?  I'm a 10. Not picky at all.

There's almost nothing I won't eat. In fact the only thing that comes to mind is liver and I think my dislike of that goes back to my childhood. My mom would occasionally make liver and onions for dinner and I could not handle the smell at all. I do like liver pates which are nothing like liver and onions. 

My girls, their spouses, and my grands are not picky eaters either, which is really nice when it comes to meal planning. 

If I had to eat a meal made entirely of one color I'd probably opt for red-

apples, cherries, strawberries, watermelon, red peppers, red potatoes, tomatoes, red onions, beets, red meat...I think I could cover all the food groups if I chose red, but I'd definitely miss the greens. 

I'd like a Christmas plate please-red and green. 

4. What does balance in life mean to you? Does your life currently feel 'balanced'? 

Hmmm...I'm not sure life can be in balance every minute of every day. I think we're always making adjustments both large and small, to keep life on an even keel. For me balance means I have an overall sense of well being (physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally).  Sometimes I need more physical activity to regain my balance, sometimes more quiet space, coffee with a friend, or a good cry. 

Do I currently feel balanced? 

Not exactly, but like I said in my answer to the first part of this question, I'm always tweaking things and this season is no different.  I mean I'm not tipping over but one side of the boat is a bit heavier than it should be and I'm working to level out. 

5. If you could travel the world for a year what would be your first destination? 

I think I'd start in New Zealand because it's so far from my current location and that's a place I'd like to see. I could work my way this direction without a lot of backtracking. 

Sounds good to me...when do we leave? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

'And I'm proud to be on this peaceful piece of property, I'm on sacred ground and I'm in the best of company...

And I'm thankful for those thankful for the things I've done, I can rest in peace, I'm one of the chosen ones...

I made it to Arlington...' 

~from Arlington written by Jeremy Spillman and Dave Turnbull 

This weekend we pause to honor and remember those who gave all. 

Let's be grateful. 

A Weekend Recap From The Porch

The weekends go by fast, don't they? We like to say every day is the weekend in retirement, but lately not so much. Hubs and I declared Saturday a no-hurry have fun day and although I had to remind him of the no-hurry bit a couple of times, he eventually relaxed and we had a really nice day. A day date if you will. 

Remember when I was counting those here? I'm still counting, just not posting all of them on the blog. 

Backing up to Friday...

Hubs of course had a dozen projects going so he spent most of the day power washing the dock and bridge. We've hired the staining out this year because that is a back breaking job and some years we pay to have it done. They're supposed to be coming on Monday so he wanted it squeaky clean first. 

Power washing the dock is also back breaking so he earned the rest. 

I took care of some paperwork and cleaned bathrooms, then went to play Mah Jong. Not back breaking, but it can sometimes strain the brain. 

Daughter1's hubs was attending an out of town medical thing last week so she and the kids came over Friday evening for a slumber party. The puppy too, because where they go the puppy goes. He desperately wants to play with the Little Brown Dog, but the LBD is not having any part of it. He lets him know too, but they'll get used to each other. 

The weather was absolutely gorgeous all weekend long, so we sat outside and played and talked, and hubs grilled burgers for dinner. Little Miss went to bed on the early side and the rest of us snuggled on the couch and watched Hook. Nana might have missed the entire middle of the film due to an unplanned nap, but I'd seen it before so no biggie. That's life in the third act. You fall asleep before the six year olds. 

Actually that has always been me, never a night owl. Does staying awake past 8:30 qualify one as a night owl? 

After some early Saturday morning fishing for the Mancub and Pawpaw, the party goers had breakfast then went on their way. Hubs and I jumped in the car for a drive one state over. We had a lunch destination in mind, then planned to piddle around in some of the shops nearby. 

At our wine dinner this month one of the couples we sat with told us they'd been to a great BBQ place in the little town of Dillard Georgia. I live in the Palmetto State, but the GA border is right down the road. 

We don't often go out for BBQ because hubs makes a mean pulled pork here at home, but the pitmaster at the Blue Hound in Dillard won Season 6 (July 2025) of the Bobby Flay BBQ Brawl and we thought we should taste it for ourselves. 

The drive over was just under an hour, and it's my favorite kind of BBQ place. A small building that sits on the literal side of the road beside a gas station, smoke billowing out of the smokehouse, and already a long line at 11:15 AM. 

I got the brisket sandwich with a brocoli salad instead of chips and hubs had the brisket plate with collards and slaw. He meant to order banana pudding, but forgot. We did get two jars of their rubs to try at home. 

We sat at a picnic table outside and enjoyed every bite. Afterwards we browsed a couple of shops just a few hundred yards away, then headed towards Clayton, which is a cute little mountain town we love. 

We passed this shop on the way to the restaurant and the name forced us to make a stop there on the way out-

They actually had some nice pieces of furniture and then the usual assortment of 'stuff', but we just looked before heading on to Clayton. Which was hopping on a sunny Saturday! Once we got parked we walked to a little shop called White Birch Provisions for a coffee. I think I might like to stay in the White Birch Inn sometime as it looks cute. We browsed the shops on the main drag, but didn't buy anything.  

On the way out of Clayton we popped in to the local distillery there so hubs could get a bottle of their bourbon. I hadn't been in the place in a couple of years and they've expanded quite a bit which was nice to see.

We made the hour-ish drive home and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening on the lower level porch. I had a small nap (my sleep tank has been fumes the past month) and we listened to music, read, and chatted. Neither of us were very hungry so hubs ate the leftover burger and sides from Friday's dinner and I had a fried egg sandwich.  Sometimes that is exactly what I'm craving. 

Sunday morning kitchen sink view. 

We went to church, then made an exceedingly and unnecessarily long stop at Tractor Supply for a piece of rope for the outdoor shower mirror (the one we had finally broke) and then had lunch on the porch. After lunch hubs trimmed tree branches or some such nonsense and guess where I was? 

If you said the porch you wouldn't be wrong. It's great to be back in almost summer mode. 

Linking today with Holly and Sarah for their regular Monday morning weekend recap party. 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 654

Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here on Wednesday (May 20) to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. What do you make more complicated than it needs to be? 

2. What impresses you? 

3. On a scale of 1-10 how picky of an eater are you?  (1=extremely and 10=not at all) If you had to eat a meal made entirely of one color what color would you choose? 

4. What does balance in life mean to you? Does your life currently feel 'balanced'? 

5. If you could travel the world for a year what would be your first destination? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

The Friday Seven

I know it's usually dubbed the Friday Five, but I have a random seven so there ya go. Just a few stray thoughts and happenings from the past week and life lately linked with Andrea and Erika today. 

1. Did I tell you daughter1 and her family got a puppy? 

As my granddaughter loves to say 'he's a basket hound'. Oh my word, it's the cutest, and we absolutely do not correct her. In fact we all now say basket hound and likely will say it that way forever and ever amen.

He's super cute, as all puppies are wont to be. Pretty sure God designed it that way because puppies are puppies, right? As far as puppies go he's a good one. Basset Basket hounds are kind of low energy which is not a bad trait in a puppy. I've read they're sometimes called the couch potato of the dog world, and while I don't think I'd go so far as to say that, he is pretty chill. 

2. Did I tell you daughter2 and her family got a puppy? Their guy joined the family back in the fall but I don't remember mentioning it here and I don't play favorites. This handsome fella was a rescue and nearly a year old when they got him. 

fyi-A  one-year old dog is still a puppy. 

He's a real sweetie and has settled in well. The kids adore him. And because I know someone will ask our little brown dog is uninterested in these juveniles lol. 

3.  We had our monthly wine club dinner on Monday and it was one of my favorites. The food was so good. There was a Spanish theme to the menu and I meant to take pictures, but oops.  

One course was a Salmorejo which I'd never heard of before, but is similar to a Gazpacho. It's made from puréed tomatoes, bread, garlic, and olive oil and I might like it even better than Gazpacho. I found a recipe online I'm going to try at home. It's served cold so will be a nice summer treat. 

4. Tuesday was book club and we read The Indigo Girl. Our hosts had all sorts of indigo details on the snack table including this tea-

Have you ever tried butterfly pea flower tea? It's indigo in color and doesn't have a lot of taste. We added honey and lemon (and in some cases Prossecco) to give it more flavor, but the color was beautiful. I read the tea's benefits are similar to green tea, without the bitterness. 

5. My two oldest grandsons are playing on the same baseball team this season and they're killin' it. I've been running non-stop since April, and until this week hadn't made it to a single game. Hubs has managed a few, but I can't be in two places at once so priorities. 

Hubs and I drove to the field Wednesday night to see them play and the other team was a no-show. Boo.  Hubs had plans Thursday night but I trekked back to the field to finally see a game. 

I love the ballpark vibe. 

6. Thursday morning hubs and I met up with daughter1 to watch grandson #2 (aka Max on the blog) 'graduate' from kindergarten. I love this school they are part of so very much. It's a hybrid, so some days students are in a classroom and the other days are homeschooled by their mommas. The heart of this school is beautiful. 

Each 'graduate' is gifted a copy of Max Lucado's The Oak Inside the Acorn, and the Director's message and prayer were lovely. The kindergartners walked in to Pomp and Circumstance and I don't care if the graduates are six or eighteen or twenty-two, that song always makes me teary. 

As we waited for the program to begin they had a little slide show with a picture of each child in their cap and gown (precious!) and a tag line telling what each little person wants to be when they grow up. They flashed this sign too-

Class of 2038???!!. Can that be right? That date doesn't even sound real. 

They let the students toss their caps in the air at the conclusion of the event and I  guess it's in our DNA because they all knew just what to do. So fun! 

After graduation I drove the hour and twenty over to spend time with my momma and had a nice visit with her. Such a beautiful blue sky day...

I  made a stop at Costco when I left there since I was somewhat in the neighborhood. Not really, but definitely closer than I am when coming from home so it made sense. Plus hubs was out of his peanut butter stuffed pretzels and we can't have that.

7. I made a pot pie for dinner Wednesday night and it was so pretty-

I am all about dishes that make more than one meal these days. Have a great weekend everyone! 

Oh The Places We'll Go

Yesterday's Hodgepodge got me thinking about graduations and I decided to weed through one of my attic boxes for some pictures. Killing two birds with one stone so to speak...empty an album (or three) and write a blog post while I'm at it. 

Course I went down the rabbit hole pretty far and ended up sending pictures of pictures to some of my college friends and then hubs got in on it too and invited his old roommate to come for the weekend and this is how we roll. We couldn't quite make the spontaneous visit happen this weekend, but it will happen soon. 

Back to graduations...I'm not a Carolina sports fan (Go Vols!!) but I am an Eric Church fan and he gave the commencement address at UNC last weekend. I thought it was really good and worth a listen (linked here). 

I have no idea who spoke at my commencement and I have very few pictures from the day. Based on this photo it appears there was a professional photographer there (he's over my shoulder), but I guess we chose the diy route instead. 

I do know it was exciting and I did get a job, which was after all the goal. Some people say college wasn't all that useful in terms of their future employment, but in my profession it was very necessary and of course a lot of fun too.  

Remember panty hose? Remember weeding through ten pair to find one without a run? 

My parents gave me a briefcase as a graduation gift and I loved it so much. Made me feel officially adult. This was before the cute tote bag era we're in now, and you better believe I used that briefcase. I worked for a school system and in my role I traveled to more than one school so it was nice to keep all my paperwork together.  

Somewhere there's a picture of me in my cap and gown standing with my parents but it wasn't in the boxes I pulled out today. I promise they were there-ha! I found this one taken in my sister's apartment, and I'd love to know what we're saying. 

Look at the waist on those jeans! I guess it really is true, what's old is new again. 

Hubs graduated the December after my June graduation date and here I am cheering him on. That jumper was so cute. 

Also, he wasn't the hubs yet. 

Also I'm scanning actual photos which, let's be honest were not all that great to start with, but it was the 80's and we had no idea. We didn't take many pictures while in college, or at least I didn't. I have a handful and they're a real mishmash. Here's one from a date hubs and I had out hiking someplace. I couldn't say where? 

What I can say is I was definitely a natural brunette lol. 

I feel like today's generation of young women are more polished than my generation was in terms of hair/makeup/ skincare. Maybe we weren't quite as concerned with all that because we weren't photographed 37 times a day? I'm not saying we didn't care because we did love our hot rollers, but we didn't work out, drink gallons of water, or have a ten point skin care routine before going to bed at night like girls do now. 

We did have the best music though, and I'll fight you on that if necessary. 

I do have pictures from my girl's graduations, high school and college. One of my favorite pictures of my girls was taken on the day of daughter2's high school graduation-

Beauties. 

Both girls  had incredible speakers at their high school ceremonies, that's something I do remember. At Daughter1's ceremony the speaker was the first British woman to summit Mt. Everest and then later climb all seven summits. She was phenomenal. 

Plus my daughter was given the Principal's award which was a happy surprise. He said the nicest things about her. 

The speaker at Daughter2's high school graduation was a gentleman who was blind, but had accomplished much. I can't recall the details of  his story but I remember it as inspiring. 

Hubs and I still say we own some of the real estate their university sits on or at least it feels like we should. The campus is spectacular. They had photo ops before photo ops were even a thing. 

A rose garden...

Beautiful fountains...

Same fountains, another degree....

Today I'm off to see a little boy 'graduate' from Kindergarten. I know I know, it's not a true graduation, but we celebrate all the same. Marking life's milestones brings a lot of joy. 

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. 
You can steer yourself any direction you choose."~Dr. Seuss 

Pomp And 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. What's one piece of advice you would you give a recent or soon-to-be graduate? 

Congratulations! You don't have to have your whole life figured out. 

You may have to take a job that is something less than your dream job, and that's okay. Your first job is a stepping stone to your next job.  Prioritize your relationship with Christ in this season of enormous growth and change. 

2. May 15th marks the birth date of L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. At this point in time are you more in need of brains, courage, heart, or a trip back home? Explain. 

I'm going with courage. I want more of it. Moral courage in particular, which feels essential in these turbulent times we find ourselves caught up in, where truth is relative and everything is polarized.

3.  "There's no place like home" is an oft repeated line from Baum's book. When was the last time you felt the truth of that statement? 

Every time I travel I have this thought. I love getting away, whether for a long weekend or an extended holiday, but it always feels good to be back home, to sleep in my own bed. 

Actually sometimes it doesn't even have to be a trip. When I've been out of the house for a full day I might also have this thought. 

4. May is National BBQ Month...do you own a grill? Who does the grilling at your house? What's your favorite thing to throw on the grill? What's the last thing you grilled? 

Do we own a grill? Ha! We have a Big Green Egg used primarily for steaks and large entrees like pork butts, ribs, brisket, 50 chicken wings, that sort of thing. We have a gas grill we use when we just want to grill a couple of chicken breasts or burgers, a piece of salmon, etc., and we have a griddle we use for a variety of things...smashburgers, fried rice, fajitas and my favorite...

...making pancakes when the grands are all here. Hubs and I were just discussing the griddle the other night saying we want to do more griddling this summer. 

Hubs does the grilling here and also the cleaning of the grill after cooking. My favorite thing to throw on the grill would be a burger, but the last thing we grilled was a ribeye steak on Mother's Day. 

5. What's a memory you replay in your head when you need a little joy? 

There are many, but one of the first things that popped in to my head was daughter1 meeting daughter2 the day she was born. 

My parents brought her to the hospital and it was one of the sweetest moments of my life. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

"The earth laughs in flowers." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Weekend

Good Monday morning friends. My blog and I are out of sync and need to get reacquainted. I spent last week helping get my mom moved which entailed, among other things, driving more than 700 miles (all local!!), and I have either a whole lot to say about it or nothing at all. I haven't quite decided. 

It was a bit of a tough week, with some bright spots too of course, but I think I'll put that on the back burner for now and just chat about my weekend, pretty blooming things, and how much joy motherhood has brought to my life. 

Backing up to Wednesday because the day was a beauty and for dinner I made this delicious one-pan chicken and spinach orzo which needs to be mentioned. 

The recipe calls for rotisserie chicken but I brushed a couple of chicken breasts with Italian dressing, roasted them, then shredded, and I liked the flavor this brought to the dish. Really good!! Hubs loved it and ate the leftovers for lunch the rest of the week. 

In other news I am in love with everything blooming in our yard right now.  

The color of these azaleas is so delicate. 

Thursday was my volunteer day, then I came home and washed my hair, made stuffed peppers for dinner, and crashed on the couch. 

Friday I spent most of the day with my mama who now resides in the Palmetto State. My older sister and my niece both live just a few minutes from my mom's new home and the three of us joined her for  a lovely Mother's Day luncheon there. 

I got back to the lake about 3:30 and met hubs at our local wine shop for a tasting. A vintner from Italy he’d met on one of his earlier visits to the lake was in town, so hubs wanted to stop by the tasting. I was exhausted so didn't stay long and we came home and had a low key Friday night. We had leftover peppers for dinner, then watched a movie-Solo Mio, which we thought was really cute. 

I'd love a trip to Italy right about now, please and thank you. 

Saturday morning we made a trip to Lowes to pick up more potting soil, dirt so hubs could repair the yard where the sprinkler repair happened the day before, and lightbulbs for our outdoor lanterns. I wanted to sit outside and blog and read, but it was a little too cool and cloudy so I planted myself on the couch instead. 

Hubs did a million things like clean the boat bimini, fix the yard where it needed fixing, repotted some tomatoes, and got ribs going on the Big Green Egg. Happy Mother's Day to me. He knows I've had a month week and has pretty much let me be. 

It warmed up some close to dinner time so we sat by the waterfall with a glass of wine which felt like a great big much needed exhale. The lake was quiet and the sound of the waterfall soothing. 

Also these ribs y'all. 

He has mastered it.  

Sunday. Mother's Day. We went to church and heard a really good message taken from James 3 about the power of the tongue, which I think gave everyone something to think about, or maybe that's just me? Right after church daughter1 and I sent the guys home and she and I went to see Devil Wears Prada2. A quiet theatre with chairs that recline and a tub of popcorn to share for our Mother's Day lunch. 

What more could a mom ask for? We both liked the movie and it confirmed my need for a trip to Italy. Also a pair of super chic sunglasses which I'll be adding to my birthday wish list. 

I bought both of my girls the same thing as a little Mother's Day gift this year, and went all in with my hedgehog theme. I ordered this wrapping paper from Zazzle and it was so cute and of great quality. I dislike flimsy wrapping. 

Both my girls have gardens and you know how we feel about hedgehogs. 

These watering cans are from Uncommon Goods and I saw them at Christmas time, but they sold out fast. I remembered them and went back and looked a couple of months ago and success! They're sturdy and  adorable both so I might have to go back and get one for myself too.  

My girls both gave me sweet gifts that confirm they know me well. I appreciate when there is thought behind a present.  

I came home after the movie and hubs and I finally!! took the boat out for this season's maiden voyage. The sun was shining and it was a gorgeous day to be on the water. We motored by a house hubs recently sold so he could snap some pics from the water to send the soon-to-be new owners, but mostly we just moseyed around  nearby coves before coming back to the house to get dinner going. 

Hubs grilled steaks and they were delicious. After dinner we took a short walk before deciding to jump back on the boat to try and catch the sunset-

A beautiful ending to the Mother's Day weekend and always a sweet reminder that God is faithful. 

Visit Holly (Pink Lady Blog) and Sarah (Books and Sunshine) to read more 

or to add your own weekend recap.