Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Summertime and the Hodgepodgin' is Easy

Welcome to the Hodgepodge Hodgepodgers! Glad you've joined the party today...don't forget to add your link at the end of my post. Here we go-


1. Since you weren't Hodgepodging last Wednesday, how did you pass the time?

I was gallivanting around Portugal. 


I wrote about it in great detail (don't I always???) starting with the post found here.

2. What's the first word that comes to mind when I say marriage? Yes, one word.

forever

3. Summer officially arrives in the Northern hemisphere this week. Does it feel like summer where you live? Describe your idea of the perfect summer day.

Today yes (it's Tuesday), but check back with me tomorrow because that's kind of how the year has gone weather wise. Ka-razy! We endured a relentless winter, followed by a really wet spring. In fact I don't feel like we had much of a spring this year, there were so many cold-damp-gray days. On the bright side, our water bill should be way down this month.  

My idea of a perfect summer day would be my toes in the sand at the edge of the water, a good book in my hand, hubs and my girls in beach chairs beside me. Add in a beautiful sunset and fresh seafood for dinner and yeah, I think you can call it perfect.  
4. "Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability."(Sam Keen) Is laziness ever respectable? Do you have a lazy summer planned or something semi-ambitious?

I don't think summertime laziness fits the strictest definition of the word. Laziness to me is doing nothing when you should be doing something. Summertime laziness is different. We all need time to slow down, breathe deep, and find rest for our world weary souls. Summer is often the perfect time to do just that. 

We have a few things on our calendar, but nothing too ambitious. Mostly enjoying friends, family, and evenings around the firepit in our own backyard.  

5. Past or present, who's your favorite television dad? Why is he a favorite? Is he anything like your dad?

Well I've always loved Andy Taylor (The Andy Griffith Show). He had integrity, was calm, fair and a protector of his family and community.  My dad was a man of great integrity and always made his family feel safe, so in that sense they were similar. He could not however, play the gi-tar or sing. Nor was he a sherrif, although he did maintain the law in our household. 

In newer programming I like Phil Dunphy from Modern Family. He's funny, cares about his family, and his optimism is refreshing. 

6. June 18 is International Picnic Day...share a favorite picnic memory.

I haven't been on an honest to goodness picnic in quite a while. Some of my favorite picnic memories are from my own childhood. My parents best friends also had four children of similar ages, and we'd often load up the station wagons for a picnic someplace. Sometimes my mom would fry chicken and sometimes we'd bring a little Hibachi grill with us and cook hamburgers. 

We always played games too, wiffle ball, baby in the air, and one I especially loved called Kitty in The Corner. One person was dubbed 'the kitty' and everyone else spread out and took a 'corner'. The object was for two players to switch places without the 'kitty' beating you to the spot. Does anyone else remember that game? 

7. The travel site Trip Advisor lists the top five islands in the world for 2014 as-Ambergris Caye in Belize Cayes, Providenciales in Turks and Caicos, Bora Bora in French Polynesia, Marco Island Florida, and Lewis and Harris in The Outer Hebrides (Scotland).  Have you been to any of these? Of the ones listed (and if price were not a factor) which would you most like to book for a holiday?

When it comes to island holidays I'll pretty much go anywhere.  The only one on the list I've been to is Marco Island. It's my family's favorite vacation spot in the world so I'd never turn down a trip there.  



Best sunsets in the world are found there too, just fyi. 

Of the islands listed I'm going with Bora Bora. I've never been and it's on my list. 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I do believe planning a wedding is a lot more fun since the advent of Pinterest.  Just sayin'. 





33 comments:

  1. The photo of the sunset is fantastic.

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  2. From your photo, it looks like the weather was perfect!!!

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  3. I completely forgot about "kitty in the corner"... We played that a lot as kids! And I completely agree about Pinterest... All of our events have been more fun to plan since it has come about!

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  4. We should check out each other's pinterest wedding pins. I've bee doing it quite a lot too. Lauren has too - so then we check out each others "likes." She has decided on a "rustic" wedding - with sunflowers and daisies… everything with a country feel. So, if you see my pins you will see much of that.

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    1. I picked up on that, and have seen some of your pins. My girls and I also have secret wedding boards we share just with each other. That's been fun! We want some things to be a surprise on the day. It's fun isn't it?

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  5. I have enjoyed your blogs about your trip to Portugal, and this is a fun Hodgepodge! Marco Island is a great place, indeed!

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  6. Pinterest can also be a bother... its great for ideas, but don't let it make you compare your wedding to the ones you see. It's like I tell my bride & grooms I do photographs for, these are the shots of the BEST moments of a day - not their WHOLE day :)

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    1. My daughter definitely knows what she wants so it's just been fun browsing all the wonderful and creative ideas out there. Inspiring too! Pinterest has been a great way for us to share ideas. My two girls and I have enjoyed the 'secret' boards which we share only with each other. Its another fun way to connect.

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  7. Great questions today! And, I cannot imagine having Pinterest as a source planning a wedding. My goodness, probably best that my daughter and I did not have it. Hubby's pockets would have likely had to be even deeper. What a fun time!

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  8. I was actually just thinking yesterday how much more fun it would have been to plan my wedding if we had had the internet or Pinterest... I'm sure you and your daughter are having a blast!

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  9. That was a perfect reason not to do Hodgepodge! Love your perfect summer day. We definitely enjoy Phil on Modern family. I'm going to have try Marco Island someday. I have found memories of picnic's as a child.

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  10. Thank you for mentioning Kitty in the Corner...always looking for those sorts of games. You are a traveler I see. I'll be back to read the linked post about Portugal. I'm much more a stay-at-home gal. Love your answer for marriage! Of course, that is the very best one. My husband is so going to get me for mine. ☺

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  11. I've never heard of kitty in the corner nor baby in the air.

    I don't know about Pinterest for planning weddings, but I do get a lot of good ideas for other things from Pinterest.

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  12. Never heard of Kitty in the Corner, but sounds like fun. Should we play it now as grown women? What would THAT look like? :) Let's try it in Bora Bora, shall we? A bunch of bloggers who said Bora Bora today would most certainly try Kitty in the Corner if they could try it in an tropical paradise, right?

    One guy who was here not long ago with his girlfriend said they'd just to been an "unmistakably Pinterest wedding." :) I sure enjoyed browsing my DIL's wedding board--gave me all sorts of clues as to her style and dreams.

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  13. Chris keeps telling me I need to go to Marco Island, that I would LOVE it! Definitely is on my list! I'm with you, though, Bora Bora looks AMAZING!

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  14. Love sunsets! Would probably love sunrises if I got up earlier.

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  15. I don't know about the Pinterest thing. It has way too many choices and I have a hard time narrowing stuff down. "Yes! Let's do ALL of it!" LOL I didn't like Phil at first but now I LOVE him! But Bill Cosby is my all time fave and my dad is just like him! Hope the planning is going well! What's the date?

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  16. Never heard of kitty in the corner OR baby in the air!
    Loved your lazy #4.
    So glad you are having fun planning with your girls!

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  17. Summer is definitely the perfect season to enjoy the beach! :)

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  18. Wow...Wiffle Ball...haven't thought of that in forever! We would play "jai alai" - at least the cheap version of that!

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  19. I've never heard of Kitty in the Corner either. Sounds like it was a fun game though. We do bonfires in the summer too. I love being outside on summer nights. Cute picture of you in Portugal!

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  20. And since you have an upcoming wedding, I don't think the time on Pinterest could be considered being lazy. lol Lucky you to go to Portugal. Would love to go there someday, even more than any of the islands in today's Hodgepodge. Gilligan kinda took the romance of islands away from me. I got pretty weary of the three hour tour...(the three hour tour).

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  21. How lucky you got to go to Portugal! It indeed looks like a beautiful place. It may be a long flight for me to get there though. I got back from NY a week ago, unfortunately we didn't stop at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, we did go by it on the bus tour. I wish they let us all off and have ice cream. :) Have a great week!

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  22. I imagine Pinterest could make things more confusing too! How does one pick just one/two/three ideas?! That said, I'm willing to try... Ha. Can you tell I'm ready for someone to get married?! Even though the one even remotely nearest to tying the knot is a son... {sigh}

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  23. Portugal? Wow! Sounds fantastic. I must go back and read the details. I love your picture.

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  24. I would think Pinterest would make it more stressful. Seeing ALL the gorgeous, creative ideas would make me feel like I could never make one that good.

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  25. What a beautiful sunset! Love all of your answers. I have a whole wedding pin board, that I used for my daughters wedding on May 30th of this year. It was a lot fun! =) Blessings and Sunshine, Valerie

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  26. I don't even have a reason to plan a wedding and I still have a board for wedding stuff on Pinterest. :)

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  27. I agree wholeheartedly with you on what constitutes a perfect summer day ... but then anyone who's read my blog would not be surprised about that. ha!

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  28. Portugal! Wow! I'm so jealous. What a fantastic photo.

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  29. What a fun link party.
    How do we know the questions ahead of time in order to work up a post.?
    I would love to join the party but not nearly as much as I'd love to GO TO PORTUGAL. :)

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