Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Indulging in The Hodgepodge

Welcome to another edition of the Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you're visiting from the A-Z Blog Challenge you'll find my post on Letter K by scrolling down to question #8.

For all you Hodgepodgers here today, please note we'll be on Spring Break next week. I need a breather about this time every April, so thanks for understanding. There will not be any Wednesday Hodgepodge next week, April 20th. The Hodgepodge will be back in action the following week, April 27th. 

The A-Z will be here all month long though, which I guess is why they call it a Challenge.

Okay, back to the here and now...this week's questions and my answers. If you've played along today add your link at the end of my post, then go say hi to your neighbor.


1. What's the last thing you did that could be described as 'taxing'? 

Hmmm...I'm going to say coming up with Hodgepodge questions and a post for the letter J on Tuesday, followed by answering the Hodgepodge questions and coming up with something for the letter K today. 

2.  If you cold plant a garden of anything, what would be in it? 

I'd love to have a whole big bed of purple iris. 

3.  April 10-16 is National Library Week...will you celebrate with a visit to your nearest library? When did you last make a trip to the library? What are you reading right now? What's one title on your want-to-read list? 

I still love the library. I love browsing the shelves and checking out real books, so yes I'll make a trip there this week. I was actually there yesterday returning a book. I'm currently reading The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr, but I just finished a book I absolutely loved-My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman. You can read a short synopsis by clicking on the title link. So good!!

I have a very long to-read list that I add to almost daily. One near the top right now is The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. 

4. Share a saying or an old wives tale you heard while growing up, you believed to be true or that you paid attention to 'just in case'. 

Chicken soup cures the common cold. It might not cure it, but it definitely helps! 

5. Are you a fan of onions? Garlic? Ginger? What's a dish you love that contains one, two or all three items listed? 

Yes please. I like all three and I love Thai food which typically features any or all on the list.

6. Where does nurturing end and indulging begin? What are some skills or qualities you think a person needs to posses in order to be viewed as mature?

I wanted my children to grow up with the expectation they would work for what they wanted in life. I also wanted them to understand there's a difference between needing something and wanting something, a message I think is contrary to what society tells them. When we begin protecting our children from the consequences of their own actions, their laziness, poor planning or lack of planning, we've become indulgent. 

A mature person is someone who sees a job through to completion, even the parts of the job they don't particularly love. They can admit when they're wrong, handle constructive criticism, and they don't hold a grudge over small slights. Maturity means you pay bills before buying that new iPad, and in general take responsibility for your own actions.  

7. What leading figure in any field would you like to hear speak, and why?

This is a hard question...Bill Gates, Rick Steves, Thomas Sowell, Condoleeza Rice, Peyton Manning. I'm sure there's loads I can't think of right now. 

8.  Insert your own random thought here. 

Using this space again today for my A-Z Blog Challenge post...

K is for The Keeping Room

Do you love your kitchen? Is the kitchen the heart of your home? I've always spent a lot of time in my kitchen because I like reading cookbooks, preparing meals, and in general enjoy the conversations that seem to happen so naturally in that particular room of the house. 

When my girls are home we spend a lot of time in the kitchen. We chop, we stir, we cook. We drink hot tea brewed in pretty cups and solve all the problems of the world. Washington could use a cozy kitchen, don't you think? 

Hubs and I spent a whole day at the cabinet makers and made two trips to the appliance shop to get the kitchen just right. Then hubs made a third trip to add another piece to the puzzle and then later still I made a phone call to change my oven from gas to electric. 

Initially I'd opted for a gas cooktop/gas oven, but after talking to real cooks I decided to go with what I know and choose a gas cooktop with an electric oven. Like everything else in a home build, there are a bajillion decisions to be made when it comes to selecting appliances, plus it feels a little like a shell game...if you buy range x you get dishwasher y for free, but if you buy refrigerator A you get range hood B for free. Huh? And our microwave is a drawer not a cabinet, which is one trend that makes sense. 

My new home will also have what's called a keeping room. The name originated back in Colonial Times, but essentially it's just an extension of the kitchen offering some extra space for cozy conversation. In Colonial times it was a necessity since heat from the kitchen helped make the space warm, but that's not so much an issue in 2016, especially in South Carolina. 

Still we'll have a fireplace and a couple of comfortable chairs, and I like to imagine hubs and I will sip our coffee there on cool winter mornings. I don't have a photograph of the space, and it's still unfinished so not sure a picture would help much anyway, but here's what I call my 'washing dishes view'. Minus the cross bar of course, and with actual glass in the frames. 


I know I post too many pictures of the view y'all, but until the house is built it's all I've got. 




25 comments:

  1. Thanks for doing these super fun link ups! The view looks amazing! That lake is gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, I can't wait to see the finished house, Joyce. Smiles

    ReplyDelete
  3. You seem to manage everything well. I would have to be totally focused on that house. You are so right about the kitchen. Everyone always ends up in the kitchen. The keeping room sounds like such s great idea. Very cozy. I don't get tired of the view. Thanks for the questions. Enjoy your spring break.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I hope we're all invited for a visit in your keeping room. :-) It sounds wonderful, Joyce!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I like your answer for number 6.
    I don't know about South Carolina, but in Michigan a whole bed of purple irises lasts about 2 weeks😩
    We read The Storied Life of AJ Fikry for book club. There were a lot of parts I quite liked!
    Enjoy your week off!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Joyce.. Another great book by Backman is The Story of Ove. I loved it. And another great one is The Storied Life of AJ Fikry. Love the idea of a keeping room. Can't wait to see it. Have a great week.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I looked forward to reading your answer for #6 since I had no idea how to answer the first part. Great answer! I would love a Keeping Room, sounds so cozy. Since moving in September I no longer have a window over my kitchen sink and miss that. I do have a wonderful view from the kitchen but have to turn my head while doing dishes to see it. If I were building my own home a great view while doing dishes would be a priority. Thanks for another week of Hodgepodge questions. Enjoy your Spring Break :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I LOVE seeing your view and know you love it even more! How exciting to be putting your kitchen together! I miss a gas stove. I think you made a good decision going with the electric oven. I tried reading A.J. Fikry when everyone was making such a fuss about the book. Couldn't get into it. Perhaps I'll try again some day. Let us know how you like it. I'm impatient. If the first two chapters don't capture me, I usually move on. Thanks for another great Hodgepodge, Joyce, and enjoy your week off!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Some pretty awesome questions there. Loved your post too. I am enjoying A-Z this year....hope you are. Thanks for all your hard work.

    ReplyDelete
  10. If you had one, I'd love to see that bed of purple iris. I love them!
    If I had that "washing dishes view", my dishes wouldn't get very clean :) and you can NEVER post too many pictures of that view!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Beautiful view. And another great post.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I still can't get over that view! Lucky you! My grandmother iris and I've loved them ever since. Just wish the blooms were longer-lasting. We had a keeping room when we lived in Collierville, TN...we used it all the time.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Joyce,
    Well done with #6! That was a hard one to put into words for me.
    I wrote the titles of the books down you shared.
    I love the "washing dishes view", share it anytime.

    Thank you for all the fun Hodgepodge questions.
    Carla

    ReplyDelete
  14. Definitely coming up with questions has to be taxing. You do a great job! I had always had gas appliances until we moved into this house. We have a gas cook top and double electric ovens. I'm really liking the electric oven so I think your choice is perfect. One oven is also convection which I've never tried yet. Gas stove tops are my very favorite! Decisions, decisions, decisions. I think we only regret one decision we made on flooring.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love the idea of a keeping room! I've never heard of that before. Also, I totally agree with your answer about nurture/indulgence. I fear for the upcoming generation because of the lack of nurturing kids into productive citizens.

    ReplyDelete
  16. That's quite a view for washing dishes.I think I'd volunteer. Really nice. I'm still happy with our "new" kitchen and it's now 16 years old...

    ReplyDelete
  17. I cannot imagine how your mind must work in order to always be so creative and interesting with your blog posts. Please know that I truly admire you for it. Also appreciate your answer to #6. That was a difficult question, but I have read some very interesting responses. Oh that view! Keep sharing it.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thanks for sharing! My kitchen isn't big enough to be the center of anything. I envy those who have large ones. What a gorgeous view! https://mhsusannematthews.wordpress.com/

    ReplyDelete
  19. Oh I can totally understand your need for a week off next week. A-Z is definitely a challenge and I only had to answer your great questions! Love hearing about how your house is progressing.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I would keep posting that picture too, because that view is fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Our kitchen has one wall that is just windows looking out over our back deck and yard. We're located in a small town but within it. We back up to a creek though so once inside, I convince myself that I live in the country. Your new house is going to be wonderful. I'm so happy to have found your blog. I'm signing up! Dropping by from the A to Z Challenge. Keep up the good work! www.dianeweidenbenner.com

    ReplyDelete
  22. That view is everything. I'd live in a tent there. I have a galley kitchen which I love since I am not into sharing kitchen work. But folks can grab a stool at the stove peninsula and chat.

    ReplyDelete
  23. What a lovely view! I'm sure your new kitchen will be cozy and will foster many a deep conversation. I particularly appreciate your definition of indulgent parenting. I'm currently living in a construction zone as we remodel our 1956 kitchen. It's not fun, having workers here every day, nor do I enjoy the chaos, but I'm so looking forward to cooking and relaxing in my completed kitchen.
    @RhondaGilmour from
    Late Blooming Rose

    ReplyDelete
  24. Your Phillies and my Red Sox are doing about the same. I must say that my Red Sox are putting more runs on the board than last year and their bullpen has improved. The house is coming along nicely. Thanks for your visit and your comment.

    ReplyDelete