Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Bibbidi Bobbidi Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge! I've been traveling, so I'm scrambling a bit to get this one posted. If you've answered the questions, add your link at the end of my post, then go see what your neighbors had to say.  Here we go-



1. Did you watch The Oscars? How many of the Best Picture nominees have you seen? (American Sniper, Birdman, Boyhood, Selma, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, and Whiplash)

Do you think actors should use their acceptance speeches as an opportunity to promote their political and/or social agenda? Does that sort of speech make you more or less inclined to change the channel?

I did watch The Oscars. All four+ ridiculous hours, plus some red carpet coverage beforehand.  We were at my sister's house and about halfway through debated calling it a night, but figured we'd lasted this long, might as well see it through. 

I thought the show was particularly bad this year. Bad as in NOT entertaining, and isn't that why we watch? Can't anything be purely entertainment anymore? Must everything have something weighty attached to it ? Yes this is America and everyone has a right to express themselves, but I do think there's a time and place, and The Oscars are neither. It matters not whether I agree or disagree with whatever cause or issue is being touted by the celeb, that's not what I want to see and hear when I tune in to a show called The Oscars. 

Kind of like you not dropping in here hoping to read a rant about Hollywood.   

An-y-way...I saw three of the nominated best picture pictures-American Sniper, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and The Imitation Game. I think I'd like to see Whiplash and will probably watch for it on DVD. 

2.Speaking of the movies...are you comfortable going to a movie alone? How about dinner in a restaurant (not fast foo, but an actual restaurant)? The second half of this question was posed by Carrie who blogs over at It's Not Easy Being Queen. Thanks Carrie!

I don't have a problem going to a movie alone, although I can't say I actually do that too often. If I'm spending money on a movie, it's usually an outing with the hubs. I wouldn't go to a restaurant in town and dine alone, but if we're traveling and hubs has an evening work event I'd have no problem dining alone in a restaurant.  I'd also have no problem staying in my jammies and ordering room service-ha!

3.What's the last home repair or home improvement project you had to pay someone to complete? In hindsight was this a project you could have done yourself?

Just today (Tuesday) we had a carpet guy here to re-stretch our bedroom carpet.  He was punctual, neat, reasonably priced, and we're very happy with the end result. It's not a job I'd try on my own. 

Most home improvement projects are not things I'd try on my own.  I'm not what you'd call handy. 

4. Have you ever had Indian food? Like it or no? If you're a fan, what's your favorite dish? Have you ever prepared this yourself at home? Is there an Indian restaurant in your current hometown?

I love Indian food, one of my favorite cuisines. I love spicy food and normally order chicken tikka masala and bhindi bhaji (an okra dish). I've tried lots of dishes though, and as long as they're not Vindaloo kind of heat I'm happy.  Hubs loves the heat and asks for diced chilies on the side. 

When we lived in the UK we ate in our local Indian restaurant at least once a week. The staff gave us big hugs when we moved, and everyone got a bit teary eyed. No Indian restaurant in tinytown, but there is a place we like several towns over. 

5. A song that reminds you of your parents?

Anything by The Bill Gaither Trio. Every now and then I'll see them on TV and I have to stop and listen.  

6. The 26th of February is National Tell a Fairy Tale Day. What's your favorite, or one of your favorite, fairy tales? Do you have any childhood memories associated with a particular fairy tale?

When I was little my sister and I had a record (the kind you played on a phonograph) of songs from Hans Christian Anderson stories. We played that thing to death, and in fact just typing this I find myself humming the tune to Thumbelina.  

My mother spent hours reading to my sister and I all throughout our childhood, so hearing a fairy tale now awakens some very tender memories for me. It would be hard for me to choose a favorite, but I've always loved Cinderella. 

And while nothing beats a book in my opinion, I did love the movie version of this one too.  Lesley Ann Warren played the title character and when the fairy godmother turned her rags into a gown it was pure magic. There's a new version coming out in March, with Lady Rose Lily James in the lead role. I'm looking forward to seeing that too. 

7. What's a problem you solved yesterday?

Hmmm...yesterday (Monday) hubs and I spent a leisurely afternoon in Greenville South Carolina, so nothing  immediately comes to mind. Maybe where to have lunch? 

Tupelo Honey! Problem solved! 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

A little too much going on round here today to give this a lot of thought. Nobody minds if I just share another wedding picture do they? 


Good because I love these...



I love that my son-in-law recognizes handing over a daughter means handing over a little piece of a father's heart too. 





Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 210

Here are this week's questions for the Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to share answers. See you there! 


1. Did you watch The Oscars? How many of the Best Picture nominees have you seen? (American Sniper, Birdman, Boyhood, Selma, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, and Whiplash)

Do you think actors should use their acceptance speeches as an opportunity to promote their political and/or social agenda? Does that sort of speech make you more or less inclined to change the channel?

2. Speaking of the movies... are you comfortable going to a movie alone? How about dinner in a restaurant (not fast food, but an actual restaurant)? The second half of this question was posed by Carrie who blogs over at It's Not Easy Being Queen. Thanks Carrie! 

3. What's the last home repair or home improvement project you had to pay someone to complete? In hindsight was this a project you could have done yourself? 

4. Have you ever had Indian food? Like it or no? If you're a fan, what's your favorite dish? Have you ever prepared this yourself at home? Is there an Indian restaurant in your current hometown? 

5. A song that reminds you of your parents? 

6. The 26th of February is National Tell A Fairy Tale Day. What's your favorite, or one of your favorite, fairy tales? Do you have any childhood memories associated with a particular fairy tale? 

7. What's a problem you solved yesterday? 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Live! From This Side of The Pond! It's The Hodgepodge!

Welcome to another edition of the weekly Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered the questions today, add your link at the end of my post and then go say hi to your neighbor. Newcomers are always welcome to join the party! Here we go-



1. When did you last have to interact, either by phone or in person, with someone in a government run agency? On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the experience? (10 being fabulous and 1 being pass the Tylenol)

Government agencies...IRS, DMV, Social Security? Nothing in recent months, unless you count helping my newly married daughter obtain all the many ID docs she needs in her married name. That's been more her headache than mine. 

Wait-The United States Postal Service! I've had a lot of recent in-person interaction with our local PO in the past few months...Christmas, wedding mail, sending packages to the west coast, etc. While the PO can be a frustrating place to do business, my recent experiences there have all been pretty positive, so I'm giving them a 9. 

2. The current governor of Wisconsin is considering a run for President next time around. Walker attended Marquette University but never graduated. In terms of any candidate running for the office of President (not asking here if you agree or disagree with Scott Walker's politics) would the lack of a college degree influence your vote or no? Would that be a factor in your support of any candidate running for public office, even a role less weighty than President?

I don't know many post 40-year old adults in any field, who want to be judged til the end of time primarily on their college career or lack thereof.  

That being said, we do all hold college degrees in my house, so I'm definitely not knocking the value of higher education. I think the way we view higher education is changing, and there will be more and more candidates out there who either didn't complete university or didn't attend at all. 

When it comes to voting I want to know where candidates stand on important issues. I want to know they are persons of integrity who don't wait to see how the winds of political correctness blow before determining their own sense of right and wrong. I want a candidate with experience in the working world... someone who has managed a business or a classroom or a household. Dealt effectively with employees, bosses, co-workers, or cranky toddlers. Accomplished something besides running for office.  

I want my elected leaders to unapologetically love this land and to hold in high regard the men and women who fight to defend our freedoms.

There are so many things wrong with our political system at the moment, it makes me tired.  Love him or hate him, the Governor of Wisconsin has a very public record as a state leader. Let's talk about that. Let's examine how a candidate has performed in real world job environments. If they're already in public office, let's assess how they've managed those responsibilities. 

I can't say where someone attended uni, or even if they attended uni, has ever swayed my vote. 

3. When did you last visit a place or site named for George Washington or Abraham Lincoln, and what was that place or site?

We crossed the George Washington Bridge last Thursday evening, or the GW as it's known round here. For a mere $11.75 ($14 if you don't hav E-Z Pass), you can enter NYC via the bridge. They only charge you to come in...you're free to leave-ha!  Hubs and I met up with a college friend who was in the city on business, so worth every penny. We had dinner at Bobby Flay's which is one of our favorites.  

4. February 16th was President's Day in the US, but did you know it was also National Almond Day. I didn't think so : ) Do you like almonds? If so, what's a food/dish/recipe you enjoy that contains almonds?

I do like almonds, but as far as snacks go, a small handful doesn't really satisfy. I'd rather have a whole apple and feel full. My favorite food made with Almonds? That's easy...an Almond Joy. 

5. The television program Saturday Night Live celebrated its 40 anniversary this past weekend. Were/are you a fan of the show? If so what has been your favorite (or one of your favorite) skits, sayings, or characters to come out of the program?

I was fifteen when SNL first aired. I haven't watched the show in recent years, but as a teenager and young adult I was definitely a fan. Some seasons were much better than others of course, and its hard to pick a favorite, but a few would be-

Dan Ackroyd as The French Chef, Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi as The Blues Brothers, Steve Martin as Theodoric of Yorick-The Medieval Barber, and John Belushi in The Samurai Delicatessen. I also loved Jan Hooks and Nora Dunn as the Sweeney Sisters and Phil Hartman who was on the show in the mid-80's. 

6. Anything purple within ten feet of you? What is it?

I don't have much in the way of home decor or furnishings in the color purple, although I do love it in my closet. I'm in our home office at the moment, and I spy several books on our bookshelf with purple on the spine-Lonely Planet's Guide to Western Europe, Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life. How's that for eclectic?

7. Back in December I asked you to submit a question for a future HP as part of a giveaway I was hosting. I grabbed this one from those entries, submitted by Zoanna who blogs over at Penchant for Pens. Thanks Zoanna!

She asks, "How often do you make your bed, and how do you like to make it-pull the covers all the way up over the pillows, tuck the covers in around the pillows, or place all the pillows on top of the covers?" 

This is exactly the kind of question I tend to overthink. 

I make my bed every single day. I'm not a meticulous housekeeper, but I cannot abide an unmade bed unless someone is in it. And if it's past 9 am they better be sick. Kidding! Sort of -ha!  

We have a duvet on our bed so I pull it all the way up, prop the sleeping pillows on top of that, prop the shams on top of the sleeping pillows, and then prop the decorative pillows on top of the shams.  It's not as much work as it sounds. 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Thinking I may use my random thought as a place to share some wedding photos over the next couple of weeks. I posted this one on Facebook and it's one of my favorites-


p.s.-they're all my favorite.





Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 209

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to share answers with the universe. See you there! 


1. When did you last have to interact, either by phone or in person, with someone in a government run agency? On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the experience? (10 being fabulous and 1 being pass the Tylenol)

2. The current governor of Wisconsin is considering a run for President next time around. Walker attended Marquette University, but never graduated. In terms of any candidate running for the office of President (not asking here if you agree or disagree with Scott Walker's politics) would the lack of a college degree influence your vote or no? Would that be a factor in your support of any candidate running for public office, even a role less weighty than President?

3. When did you last visit a place or site named for George Washington or Abraham Lincoln, and what was that place or site?

4. February 16th was President's Day in the US, but did you know it was also National Almond Day? I didn't think so : ) Do you like almonds? If so, what's a food/dish/recipe you enjoy that contains almonds? 

5.The television program Saturday Night Live celebrated it's 40th anniversary this past weekend. Were/are you a fan of the show? If so what has been your favorite (or one of your favorite) skits, sayings, or characters that came out of the program?

6. Anything purple within ten feet of you? What is it?

7. Back in December I asked you to submit a question for a future HP as part of a giveaway I was hosting. I grabbed this one from those entries, submitted by Zoanna who blogs over at Penchant for Pens. Thanks Zoanna!

She asks, "How often do you make your bed, and how do you like to make it-pull the covers all the way up over the pillows, tuck the covers in around the pillows, or place all the pillows on top of the covers?" 

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Just Write. And Also Maybe Wedding Post 10.

Time for a blog post.  A regular ole what's been happening around here kind of blog post. The kind I haven't done in months. A lot has been happening around here, and I really dislike when a blogger says they have all kinds of big things happening in their life, but they aren't ready to blog about them yet.

We have all kinds of big things happening in our life, but I'm not ready to blog about them yet.

Haters gonna hate, right? I'm mulling over the notion of somehow saving it all for the A-Z challenge, but that's not til April, and I'm not sure I can keep quiet that long. We'll find out I guess. The problem is, when big stuff is going on and you aren't ready to blog about it, blogging becomes so tricky. You end up yammering on and on about inconsequential things like the weather.

The weather!! y'all. Not for the faint of heart in the great northeast this winter. Of course it could be worse. We could be further north-ha! Things were chugging along just fine until late January, and then kaboom. Snow! Ice! Snow and ice!

For the record, I'm not a fan of ice. Our little town deals with snow quite effectively, even large amounts of snow. Ice is another story though, and there's only so much you can do when you've got inches of ice coating your steps and patio.  Hubs does his best to keep up with it, but we could surely use some bright sunshine and warmer temps. It's currently 9 degrees and gusty here, so melting is not happening.  At all.


Something I love about winter? Footprints and glitter. Sunshine has been in short supply here in recent weeks, but when it shines our snow covered yard looks like a small child has been see free with a sprinkle can full of glitter. So pretty!


We can see exactly where the deer, coyote, and bear trek, and we've been watching our little fox as she slinks about looking for food. Hubs spotted her just the other evening with a rabbit in her mouth as she made a beeline for her warm cozy nest in the woods on our side hill.


The trees may be bare this time of year, but life carries on.

Hubs and I stayed in for Valentine's Day and cooked dinner together. We enjoy celebrating in this way, and while I did most of the prep, hubs did most of the cooking. We make a good team.


We made a recipe I'd seen on the Williams Sonoma site-Seared Scallops with Warm Shredded Brussel Sprouts and Prosciutto. Really good, and something I'd make again.

Here's some big news I can talk about. Big news as far as we're concerned anyway, you all may be a little wedding-weary by now. We got our pictures back from the wedding photographer and to quote my grandma, 'Oh my stars!'...they're heavenly. I don't know how to begin choosing a favorite because they're all my favorite. I'm overwhelmed by how exactly to go about sharing.

How about I just share?


My daughter posted the link to the whole lot on her Facebook page, but I've just shared a few on mine
so far. I might make an album to post with some of my favorites, but since they're all my favorites I'm going to have to give that some thought.

I'm sure you'll see some here. ahem.


This picture was taken just before we climbed into the limo for our ride to the church. Don't let gray skies and a little drizzle spoil your day because I'm pretty sure gray skies actually make for better photographs. I love the lighting here, the pop of color, the gorgeous flowers, and most of all, how happy we look. I remember the sense of anticipation we were feeling in this moment. Mostly though, I  I remember the love, so palpable it seemed like you could reach out and grab it.  

And we did.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Lovin' The Hodgepodge!

Happy Hodgepodge! A heart-felt welcome to everyone reading or playing along here today! If you've answered this week's questions, be sure to add your link at the end of my post. Also, please say hi to the blogger who linked before you, because there's no love like comment love. Here we go-


1. Have you ever written a love letter? Have you written one recently? Had one written to you? Did you keep it?

It's no secret words are my love language. Words are powerful. They can encourage or tear down. Heal or wound. Destroy another's spirit or build it up. I love the verse in Matthew that says, '"For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." 

The written word I especially love, so yes I've written some love letters. Received them too. Hubs doesn't love to write like I do, so I cherish any letters he's written. 

2. What's a movie that ends in a way you especially love?

Quite a few came to mind, but I'm going with the one that inspired this question-Secretariat. I've seen it many times, and caught the last half again this past weekend.  I absolutely love the ending, when that beautiful horse comes racing 'round the bend and O Happy Day plays her home.  It's a fantastic story, and best of all, it's true. You couldn't make up a better ending if you tried. 

3. Something that makes your heart sing? And for those of you who are parents, I mean something besides your children that makes your heart sing?

A crystal-clear, cloudless, blue sky day. 
I'd love to experience one right about now. 

4. What's the last event you had to attend, phone call you had to make, routine task you needed to complete, or meal you had to prepare, that you did do, but only half-heartedly?

I half-heartedly cleaned out the frig last week. I did get rid of all the various and sundry Tupperware containers lurking there, but my heart wasn't really in the job so I didn't pull out all the shelves or wash out all the drawers. 

Tomorrow is another day. 
My mantra when it comes to housework many some days. 

5. Tuna fish salad-yay or blech? If you said yay, how do you like your tuna salad prepared? Hey, this is the Hodgepodge, right?

I love tuna salad, one of my favorite things to make for lunch. I like mine with a little bit of chopped sweet pickle,  finely chopped celery, and a very little bit of mayo-not soggy. I like it on a bed of lettuce, or on toasted rye topped with lettuce and tomato.  

6. What's something you 'know by heart'?

The books of the Bible in order, all 50 US state capitals, our bank account number, and every single word of  Taylor Swift's song 'Love Story'. 

7. In the spirit of Valentine's Day, what two or three word phrase would you write on a conversation heart for someone you love? That someone could be a spouse, child, parent, cousin, bestie...anyone at all whom you love.

Still the one. 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Our wedding photographer got the digital scans back from my daughter's wedding, and posted a sneak peek on his website Tuesday.  So pretty!  I can't wait to inundate my blog with more pictures-ha! 

And because it's February...a love song-



Happy ♥ Day Everyone! 





Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 208

Hello Hodgepodgers! Here are this week's questions...answer on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow (Wednesday) to share the love. See you there! 


1. Have you ever written a love letter? Have you written one recently? Had one written to you? Did you keep it?

2. What's a movie that ends in a way you especially love?

3. Something that makes your heart sing? And for those of you who are parents, I mean something besides your children that makes your heart sing?

4. What's the last event you had to attend, phone call you had to make, routine task you needed to complete, or meal you had to prepare, that you did do, but only half-heartedly?

5. Tuna fish salad-yay or blech? If you said yay, how do you like your tuna salad prepared? Hey, this is the Hodgepodge, right?

6. What's something you 'know by heart'?

7. In the spirit of Valentine's Day, what two or three word phrase would you write on a conversation heart for someone you love? That someone could be a spouse, child, parent, cousin, bestie...anyone at all whom you love.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Monday, February 9, 2015

Peeps-Wedding Post 9

It's Monday which can only mean one thing. Snow Day-ha! Sad, but true. Only we don't have snow (yet), instead its been raining ice all morning, which is as delightful as it sounds. No worries though, there's supposed to be a little bit of snow to go with, sometime later today. 

Snow Days do allow me to catch up on my blog, so there's always a bright side. I've been mulling this post over in my head all month. One I'm most anxious to record, but don't know where to begin. 

How about here...people who need people are the luckiest people in the world. 
I count myself one of the lucky ones. 

Sometimes when I'm on Facebook I imagine having all the friends from all the different seasons of our lives together in one place, and essentially that happened. Not every single friend was present of course, but so many who are near and dear to our hearts were there to celebrate with us, to mark the day and this milestone in our lives. 


First comes family. Hubs and I are from two different parts of the country and as such, opportunities to have both sides of our families together in the same place at the same time have been few and far between in the thirty+ years we've been married. It was so much fun to have all our siblings, parents, the girls' cousins, even my uncle who came all the way from Arizona, in the same zip code for one whole complete entire weekend. My girls have always felt so well loved by all their many aunts and uncles, and their grandparents think they hung the moon. Blessed is how I feel when it comes to my family, the one I was born into and the one I married in to.  

If you read here regularly you know we get around. We've lived in two countries, five states, and eight cities in our married life, and along the way we've made some very precious friends. Hubs has worked for the same company for thirty years so there are the work peeps, who are so much more than colleagues. Some of his co-workers are among our very best friends. 


The bride's first real friend (aside from her sister and cousin) was also there on the day. These little cuties met on the first day of preschool over 23 years ago, and even though we moved from NJ to Maryland when they were only six years old, our families are still in touch. Her parents and sister came too. And the girl's husbands because the thing you need to know is little girls grow up and get married, but when you look at them you sometimes still see this.


The Maryland crew. We spent nine happy years in Maryland, living in the sweetest little cul-de-sac, sharing life with the nicest friends and neighbors you could ever wish for. The only pictures I have are those people have shared with me, so although I know it probably feels like I couldn't possibly have omitted anyone or anything, not everyone is represented here.


We all have daughters (there are sons too!) about the same age, and we're enjoying this new season of celebrating young adult success, college graduations, new jobs, new cities, and wedding bells as they ring. Here's something-

January 1996.


January 2015. 


I know! It may be blurry, but still it makes my heart sing. Speaking of making my heart sing-


..this picture and these people. England.

Some of the most special people we know. This photo is missing several faces who were there for the weekend, but had early flights to catch on Sunday morning which is when this picture was taken. They traveled from Georgia and Texas and California and London and even Ireland via Prince Edward Island. I'd explain, but it would take a lot of words, and the important thing is they were there.

Miles y'all.
Miles and miles.

Daughter1 was so happy to have some of her friends from high school at her wedding. It's something the average American graduate might take for granted, but when you've gone to high school in another country, reunions are not a regular occurrence.  In fact they're pretty rare. Your friends are spread out all over the world so acutal face time with them is a gift you don't take lightly.

And that 'boy' on the end? Yes I know he's a grown man with a lovely wife seated in front of him, and three kids of his own now,  but to hubs and I he's something like an adopted son. He introduced our family to Young Life. Was the very first YL leader our International School ever had, and he literally helped set our bride on the path she is walking today.

He spent every Thursday night at our house back in 2005/06, playing crazy games and logging hour upon hour of heart-to-hearts with a gaggle of high schoolers about life and God, and how one needs the other in this upside down world we call home. He coached daughter2 in swimming and accompanied her to meets in Paris and Cairo, spent long hours on a bus filled with not-sleepy teenagers, including my own, as they traveled through the mountains of Transylvania to a service project in Romania. He ate an American Thanksgiving dinner in our English home, and I could go on and on but you get the idea. I hadn't seen him in person in nine years, and I can't tell you how very much it meant to all of us to have him there, sharing in our daughter's big day.

And finally there is this. These people. Our people.


The college friends. People who knew hubs and I before we were Mr. and Mrs. People who have known us more than half our lives. Fraternity brothers, the groomsmen in our own wedding, sisters at heart, part of us. People who, no matter the days or the miles in between, can pick right up again like it's still 1980-something. They love us where we are, for who we are, and for all we've been together. Having them by our side on this day of all days, was the icing on the proverbial four-tiered wedding cake.

I wish I could write about and post pictures of everyone who made the trek south, north, east and west to be with us on January 3rd. Every friend and family member who interrupted their post-holiday relaxation to navigate crowded airports and busy highways. All who have encouraged, loved, prayed for, and grown up with, our little family of four, now five. Each and every person who was there holds a special place in our memory and in our hearts.

Did I tell you it was the best day ever?
It really was.

Friday, February 6, 2015

Five Friday Fragments-Wedding Post 8

I loved the creativity and personal touches my daughter tucked into her special day. I thought I'd share a few of those here today, along with some bits and pieces that don't fit into their own post, but that I want to remember.

1.  The Welcome Bags. 

These definitely fall under the heading of favorite things. I know a welcome bag is optional, but out-of- town guests are so appreciative of the gesture. And the late night snacks. We provided one bag per couple or, if two singles were sharing a room, one per guest, so about 80 bags total. I gave the hotel a list for the front desk, and they handed out the bags at check in. They did an excellent job managing distribution.  


We purchased brown kraft paper bags in bulk to hold all the goodies. The bride designed a personalized stamp with the words, 'Welcome Y'all' along with their name and wedding date, for the outside of each bag, and it was adorable. A team comprised of the bride, her maid-of- honor sister, and her cousin bridesmaid did the filling. 

2.  What's inside?

We ordered crinkle filler in shades of gold and white to go inside the bag, then added the goodies, which included two personalized water bottles-


The bride's favorite snack (popcorn) and the groom's favorite snack (peanut butter crackers), both with stickers made by the bride, because everything needs a sticker made by the bride-


There were also mints, Advil, and a tri-fold brochure, that was both lovely and helpful and again, custom designed by the bride-


She uploaded her design to Stationery HQ, and they did the printing on shiny card stock. Included in the brochure were the wedding day timeline, a map with directions to the church, hotel, and reception venue-


...the when and where details of our day-after breakfast, their Instagram wedding hashtag, their discount code for anyone using Uber, a list of favorite places to eat in Greenville, and also things to see and do while in town for anyone new to the city.

3.  The guestbook.

Does anyone have just a regular old fashioned guest book anymore? That's what we had at our wedding, because that's what everyone had at their wedding way back when. Ours was packed in a box soon after, and has essentially remained there, in the basement, since 1984.


Nowadays couples are all about finding ways to mark the day as their own, so Daughter1 went with something a little different for their guest book


We purchased a really pretty copy of The Newlywed Cookbook, and they had their guests sign on any recipe they liked. I think it will be so much fun to flip to a page someday in the future and read a message from one of their wedding guests.


It's a book they'll use and hopefully when they do they'll remember all the love that surrounded them on their special day.

4.  The Seating Chart.

Figuring out where everyone will sit at your reception is a bit like working a puzzle.


An extremely complicated puzzle that doesn't necessarily go together on your first try.


I know there are all sorts of of online tools you can use for this task now, but we went old-school and used Post-its. Hubs didn't really understand why we'd opt for Post-its as opposed to modern day technology, but all the girls in my house have a serious love for the post-it note. Daughter2 started talking about this almost as soon as her sister was officially engaged.

My daughter and I are both pretty visual and I needed to see the whole big picture in order to try to please everyone. I think we all know you can't please everyone, but we try and I think for the most part were very successful. We color coded our guests-pink for the bride and groom's friends and their wedding party, blue for the groom's parents family and friends, and yellow for our friends. You could easily move names around and the color coding was really helpful. I give the Post-it system five stars.

5. The Sendoff.

A slightly lame photo, but I don't have any of their actual sendoff.

It was sparkly.

I loved it. We were a little bit worried we wouldn't be able to follow through on our plans for a sparkler send off, because it had been raining off and on all evening. Thankfully there was a break in the weather just as the bride and groom were ready to make their exit.

We ordered the sparklers online (weddingsparklersdirect.com), and if you're thinking of doing the same, know that many venues require you have at least a 24 inch sparkler. Also, we over-ordered because we hadn't factored in those few guests who left prior to the send-off.

Our wedding planner and her assistant were so great in 'herding' the guests outside, lining everyone up along the sidewalk, handing out the sparklers and, most importantly, getting every single one lit, just as the bride and groom walked through on their way to happily ever after.

A magical ending to a fairy tale night.

Linking today with both Five on Friday hosted by The Good Life, and Friday Fragments hosted by Half Past Kissin' Time. Why not hop over and add your own fragments, or list of five, or list of five fragments?  Enjoy your weekend everyone! 

Thursday, February 5, 2015

One Month

I thought I'd take a short break from talking about the wedding (sort of ) and instead share a throw back Thursday kind of post.

The newlyweds celebrated one whole entire month of wedded bliss this week, and even though the groom is working crazy hours and has an upside down schedule this month, they did find a way to mark the day and make it special. Daughter1 wrote about it on her blog here

Remember when you marked your anniversary in months instead of years?

I thought it would be fun to pull out a picture of the hubs and I from our one month anniversary, because like my daughter and son-in-law, we too spent the day away from home, walking around some 'gardens'.


The Biltmore Estate, Asheville NC.

While the area is all grown up in the year 2015, this picture was taken back in 1984, when Asheville was not the popular tourist destination it is now. There most definitely wasn't a charming hotel on the Biltmore property back then, so we stayed at The Grove Park Inn. The hotel had been recently refurbished from a seasonal resort to a beautiful year round property, and to this recently married girl, spending the night there felt like a total and complete splurge.

And I suppose for us, at the time, it was. As young 20-somethings we didn't hop on planes, spend weekends road tripping all over kingdom come, or travel in any way, shape, or form, the way 'kids' do now. Driving a couple of hours over the mountain, from our apartment in Knoxville to a whole 'nother state to spend the weekend, felt very grown up.

Do you know what else 20-somethings didn't do in 1984?


They didn't crowd two faces into one photo frame and call it a selfie. While I have a few photos from the weekend, I don't have a single one of us together.


My picture taking skills were especially awesome back then, and that tiny speck behind all those gorgeous blooms would be my husband.

In July of 1984 I was still getting used to that word.


My girls will see this and say they'd love to have my outfit now. It's a two piece matching top and short set that looks like a romper. It's true what goes around comes around in the world of fashion. And even though you can barely make me out in these pictures, I notice my purse made it into every single shot. 

Raise your hand if you owned a Pappagallo bag once upon a time. The kind with the interchangeable fabric covers that buttoned onto wooden handles. I think they were also called Bermuda Bags and they were really popular in the late 70's/early 80's.   

Hubs and I have been married now for 367 months. I can't predict all the ways this world might change, I only know that it will. I pray when my daughter and son-in-law reach month 367, they'll look back at month one and smile. That they see all the many ways their hopes and plans and dreams came true.  

Even the ones they didn't know to dream. 

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

The Wednesday Hodgepink

We've had about 30 inches of snow fall in the past ten days, it's currently 13 degrees, and 'breezy'. I have to get out in it today, but first-the Hodgepodge. If you've played along this week, add your link at the end of my post, then go leave a comment for the blogger who linked before you. Here we go-


1.  Do you wear your heart on your sleeve, or keep your emotions tucked in tight?

I don't keep them tucked in tight, but I don't let them fly at the drop of a hat either. I blush and cry easily, so in some situations they're probably more on my sleeve than I would like. 

2.  How did you meet your closest friend?

We were born into the same family. My sisters are my besties. 

3. Pink lemonade, grilled salmon, cotton candy, pink grapefruit, a strawberry milkshake, or raspberry sorbet...of the pink foods listed, which one is your favorite? Least favorite? Which one have you most recently consumed?

I know I should say grilled salmon is my favorite, but if I'm being truthful it's probably cotton candy. No I'm not six. On the plus side, grilled salmon is the one I've most recently consumed, and it is a favorite. I haven't had cotton candy in a long, long time.  

I don't dislike any on the list, but if we're ranking I guess raspberry sorbet is probably my least favorite. 

4. When were you last 'tickled pink' over something? Explain.

I love hearing my Daughter2 talk about her school day. When I think about her ten year old self asking for an overhead projector for her birthday, the hours and hours she spent 'teaching school' in our basement, writing detailed lesson plans and pretend math tests, and then I see her now? In a real live honest to goodness classroom? Absolutely tickles me pink!  

5. Are you a fan of television talk shows? Daytime, nighttime, or both? What's your favorite?

I don't watch any talk shows, daytime or nighttime. Every once in a great while I'll catch an episode of Ellen, but for the most part I don't have the TV on at all during the day, and I'm sound asleep before the nighttime shows air. Cue the mamaw voice here, but...when I was younger I watched a few talk shows. These days I find I don't have patience for that sort of programming. 

6.  When was the last time you wanted to ask a question, but felt too foolish to do so?

Last Friday. We spent hours with our financial planners, and there were several times I wanted to say, 'Wait, huh?'

Is huh? a question? 

I don't know, but my head was spinning and that was the best I could do. Financial advisers love their acronyms, as in 'you want the ABC to balance out the XYZ', and my brain just doesn't work that way. Thankfully hubs gets it, and can explain it to me later. 

7.  My favorite ____________________right now is ____________________.

My favorite thing I shouldn't be eating right now is conversation hearts. 
Keepin' it real folks. 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Conveniently the sunrise played along with the color theme I've got going on in the Hodgepodge today...


Hubs teases me over the number of pictures I take of the sunrise from our front porch, but come on!


How can I not?





Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 207

Still snowy here. Just thought you should know. Great day to think about the Hodgepodge though. Answer on your own blog, then slide back here tomorrow (Wednesday) and add your link to the party.  See you there!


1. Do you wear your heart on your sleeve, or keep your emotions tucked in tight?

2. How did you meet your closest friend?

3.  Pink lemonade, grilled salmon, cotton candy, pink grapefruit, a strawberry milkshake, or raspberry sorbet...of the pink foods listed, which one is your favorite? Least favorite? Which one have you most recently consumed?

4. When were you last 'tickled pink' over something? Explain.

5. Are you a fan of television talk shows? Daytime, nighttime, or both? What's your favorite?

6. When was the last time you wanted to ask a question, but felt too foolish to do so?

7. My favorite __________________right now is _________________.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Monday, February 2, 2015

Rock n' Romance-Wedding Post 7

Let's talk music. It's a snow day round here, so why not? One thing has nothing to do with the other, but I'm housebound and still need to wrap up some of the reception details, so let's.

And by details I mean the band. THE BAND!!

When it comes to music and wedding receptions there are essentially two options. You can hire a D.J. or you can hire a band. Some venues require clients to use their D.J. services, but since ours was 'a la carte' we had choices, and we knew we wanted a band.

Hubs and the bride know and love their music. My hubs is one of those people who can tell you a song title, singer, and year of release, almost before the first full note is played. Daughter1 is the same, and since their musical tastes are happily similar, finding the band was a job I left in their capable hands.

I'm not gonna lie...deciding on which band to hire was a teensy bit stressful. There are a couple of reasons for this stress, one being hubs and his girl both had very specific ideas about how the band would sound, what songs they would play, and most especially, what songs they would NOT play.


In addition to their precise requirements, if you haven't actually seen the bands you're considering in person, then you're making a judgement call based on short YouTube clips, websites, and reviews. It was a little overwhelming and we knew we needed help. We worked with a company called East Coast Entertainment, and they were absolutely wonderful to deal with from start to finish. If you need a band for an event of any kind, I highly recommend checking them out.

East Coast has an online questionnaire outlining the specifics of your event (date, time, place), how much you want to spend, what sort of music you like, etc., and then they send you links to bands that meet your criteria. The best part about East Coast though, is they assign you an agent, and our agent Marty really helped us narrow down the choices. He took the time to listen, get to know us a bit, understand our personal tastes, and in the end helped us secure our band, The Business. 



Hubs said from the get-go our band must have horns, and The Business included both sax and trumpet (which hubs may or may not have had a turn at sometime during the night!). They're based out of Asheville, NC so came and went the same day.

They're an incredibly talented group of musicians, and their vocalist Jim Arendell has a wonderful soulful sound to his voice which I absolutely loved. Really which everyone loved, as there wasn't a single song the entire evening where people weren't dancing. They brought such a fantastic energy to our event, and I'd hire them again in a heartbeat.


So I guess you can tell we were happy with the band-ha! The bride and groom delighted the whole crowd with their sweet first dance as husband and wife, True by George Strait. Country artists somehow put into words so much of what the heart longs to say.

After dinner hubs had his moment too, and he enjoyed every minute of his dance with the new Mrs. M. Deciding on their song was another hard decision. While they both love country music, they also love beach music, southern rock, the Motown sound, and more. I think Daughter1 always imagined they'd dance to beach music, but in the end hubs wanted lyrics that captured his heart.


They danced to My Little Girl, a song made famous by Tim McGraw, but which our band played and sang. Not a country band, but their soulful sound was absolute perfection here.


At some point in the song selection process my daughter asked me if hubs had thought much about their song before now? Um, only since the day he first laid eyes on you in the delivery room of a Midwestern hospital.


She thought I was exaggerating, but I wasn't.

Honestly I think when that newborn baby daughter is placed into her father's waiting arms for the very first time, that father flashes forward to dancing at her wedding. In those first minutes of her life, his mind positively rebels at the very thought of ever handing over his beloved girl to anyone ever. Ever ever. Never. He prays for time to please go slow.


But time it has its way with us, and in a blink that day is here. He sees the smile on her face and the light in her eyes. He is carried along on the wave of pure, unadulterated joy spilling out of her heart and he does not rebel. The happiest day of her life is the happiest day of his life, and he loosens his grip on the golden thread that binds her heart to his.

He knows you can't stop time.
He's surprised to discover he wouldn't want to.