Wednesday, March 30, 2016

No Foolin', It's The Hodgepodge

Welcome to another springtime edition of the Wednesday Hodgepodge! If you've answered this week's questions, add your link at the end of my post before you run say hi to your neighbor. Here we go-


1. What are two or three expectations you have of yourself?

I expect to handle difficult people and situations with love and grace.   

I expect to be a supportive wife, and a good role model for my daughters.  

I expect to do the work that needs to be done to succeed at the personal goals I've set for myself.

2.  In what way does your outdoor space need sprucing up this spring?

Hmmm...our home is under construction so there is quite a lot of sprucing up that needs doing. Not sure it will happen this spring since there are work crews on the lot every day, and I think we'll hold off on the landscaping until the house is closer to completion. We did get the dock cleaned and sealed so that might count in the sprucing up department. 

Currently we're in an apartment, so the outdoor space is not our own. The management does a good job maintaining the grounds, but our tiny little balcony could certainly use a pot of happy pansies. I intend to add one this week. 

3.  According to this site (Roadtrippers), six of North America's most wondrous waterfalls are-Webster's Falls in Ontario, Upper Whitewater Falls in North Carolina, Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon, Multnomah Falls in Oregon, The Lower Yellowstone Falls, and Niagara. Have you seen any on the list? Which one on the list would you most like to visit? Prettiest waterfall not on the list that you've seen in person?

I haven't seen any on the list in person, but we don't live far from Cashiers so the Upper Whitewater Falls have been added to my must-see list. If I can only choose one though, I think I'll go with Multnomah Falls. My daugher1 lives in Washington, and Oregon is her next door neighbor so Oregon it is. 

Hubs and I enjoy hiking and have seen some pretty smaller falls in the state parks we've visited. One of my favorites is Bushkill Falls which I blogged about here.  



They're called the Niagara of Pennsylvania, although I feel like that's overstating their grandeur just a tad. They are beautiful though, and worth a visit if you're in that part of the country.  

4.  Looking back, what's something you wish you'd done as a teenager?

Become fluent in a foreign language. 

5. Ham...yes please or no thank you? If you said yes please which of the following do you like best-baked ham with all the trimmings, a ham and cheese sandwich, prosciutto with melon, a ham biscuit, a bowl of split pea and ham soup, or a slice of pizza topped with ham and pineapple?

I love a holiday ham dinner with all the trimmings, and that's what we had for Easter this past Sunday. I have the leftover ham bone in the crock pot today, making split pea soup which is also a favorite. I like everything on the list, although the Hawaiian pizza is just eh for me. Probably the baked ham dinner would be my favorite. 

6. Are you typical of your generation? How so?

I think so, if there's such a thing as 'typical'.  I think my generation wishes they'd taken better care of themselves when they were younger, but we're doing the best we can to make up for it now. Like most women I know who are my age, I try to eat right and exercise both my body and my brain, take care of my skin, manage my health in the sense that I book routine appts with the dentist, dermatologist, etc.  I read new books, see films, follow current events, and do my best to keep up with technology. 

I think I struggle with that last bit in the way many people my age struggle, but we are trying and we want to keep up, which I think is typical of my generation. We remember a world without cell phones and computers, and we miss the simplicity and innocence of that sometimes, but we also recognize time marches on and we try to march on with it. Go us! 

7. April rolls in at the end of the week, and in keeping with that theme...'act the fool', nobody's fool', a fool's errand', 'could have fooled me'...which foolish idiom most recently applies to you? Explain.

None of these are an exact fit, but 'Act the fool' might come closest. I think it means to clown around, do something silly, foolish...

I (accidentally) threw my check book in the trash last week, along with a check I'd written, put in an envelope and even stamped. I honestly have no recollection of doing so, but guess I gathered up some magazines and paperwork to toss and they were in the pile? Thankfully I thought to check the bin before the rubbish went out. Middle age brain. The struggle is real y'all. And typical of my generation-ha! 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

So remember how I said in #5 I had that leftover ham bone in my crock pot and split pea soup simmering since early morning so we could have it for dinner last night? Yeah, well hubs and I went out to the lake late afternoon and for some reason he unplugged the crock pot before we left. I think he thought it was the coffee pot chord but whatever, dinner last night was not split pea soup. It was Chinese take out.  

On the bright side-we've got a roof, so whoohoo! 



Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Hodgepodge Questions-volume 261

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


1. What are two or three expectations you have of yourself?

2. In what way does your outdoor space need sprucing up this spring?

3. According to this site (Roadtrippers), six of North America's most wondrous waterfalls are-Webster's Falls in Ontario, Upper Whitewater Falls in North Carolina, Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon, Multnomah Falls in Oregon, The Lower Yellowstone Falls, and Niagara. Have you seen any on the list? Which one on the list would you most like to visit? Prettiest waterfall not on the list that you've seen in person?

4. Looking back, what's something you wish you'd done as a teenager?

5. Ham...yes please or no thank you? If you said yes please which of the following do you like best-baked ham with all the trimmings, a ham and cheese sandwich, prosciutto with melon, a ham biscuit, a bowl of split pea and ham soup, or a slice of pizza topped with ham and pineapple?

6. Are you typical of your generation? How so?

7. April rolls in at the end of the week, and in keeping with that theme...'act the fool', 'nobody's fool', 'a fool's errand', 'could have fooled me'...which foolish idiom most recently applies to you? Explain.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Monday, March 28, 2016

An Eggs-tra Special Weekend

We've just returned home from a very full weekend spent in the mountains of East Tennessee. Hubs family gathered to celebrate his mama's 80th birthday (yes we do know how to make a birthday last around here!) along with the Easter holiday.


We missed our west coasters (Daughter1 and her hubs), but the rest of the crew was present and accounted for, and combined to create one great big family gathering.


We drove over the mountain and through the woods (literally) late Friday afternoon, arriving just in time to indulge in our favorite BBQ (Buddy's for you local peeps reading here) with the parents and my sister-in-law's family.


Daughter2 and her sweet pup rode over from SC with us, and her boyfriend drove in to join the party Saturday morning. Hubs declares any weekend with a daughter in the house a win.


We spent Saturday morning prepping the food for that evening's birthday dinner, and also Easter lunch. Nobody went hungry, that's for certain!


My sister-in-law is the only girl child in the family, and we all know the girl child is the designated family event organizer, right? She did a fabulous job with the gift and cake and I know my mother in law felt very well loved.


Because she is.


My mother-in-law's four children, their spouses, and her grandchildren may reside in six different states, but we managed to make great use of technology and create a cute birthday video message in her honor.


We also each contributed several pages filled with photographs, hand-written messages, and memories that were pressed into a scrapbook, which she will absolutely treasure.


The cake was gorgeous. Made by a local baker with a 'tag' at the bottom that reads, 'Thanks to you, we bloom'. So, so pretty! It weighed about a thousand pounds, and was delicious.


Sunday morning dawned bright and beautiful, and I had baskets for my girl and her sweetie before church. You're never too old for an Easter basket, but you are sometimes too old to remember to photograph it.


Probably the highlight of the weekend for my mother-in-law was sitting in a church pew surrounded by her children and grandchildren. We're spread hither and yon, so it's not something that happens very often, and I know it was a bright spot for her in an already brilliant weekend.


After church we shared the traditional meal of baked ham and pineapple stuffing and then a few folks headed to the couch for a nap, and a few of us headed to one of our absolute favorite places in the Smoky Mountains-the Y.


It's good for the soul y'all.


Hubs drove me, Daughter2, and her boyfriend around the Cades Cove loop at dusk, and while we didn't see any bear this trip we did spy lots of deer, a coyote, and as always God's amazing handiwork. This place has His signature all over it.


"Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life!"~Albert Einstein

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Hey Peeps! It's The Hodgepodge!

Hi Hodgepodge peeps! So glad you could join in here on this first Wednesday of Spring. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then hop over and say hello to your neighbor in the link up. Here we go-


1. Has spring sprung in your little corner of the world? Other than the calendar how would I know? What's your favorite thing about spring?

Yes it has. Now I did have to scrape my windshield when I headed out to the dentist early Tuesday morning, but by lunchtime we were in the mid-60's with plenty of glorious sunshine. I spied some pink tulips in full bloom and passed a mass of redbuds showing off too. Pastels dotting the landscape sing springtime to me. 

My favorite thing about spring? More daylight! 

2. Besides the weather, what's put a spring in your step recently?

I was out at the lot yesterday checking the progress on our home build and definitely had a spring in my step. The sky was a cloudless bright blue, sunlight was dancing on the water which I've told you at least a hundred times is my favorite thing in the world, and the framers had added the roof to our front entryway, They also got the screened porch framed in and roofed.


couldn't quit smiling. Daughter1 called while I was out there and I texted her a bunch of pictures and we talked about how we can't wait to sip a cup of tea on the covered deck one day in the not too distant future. 


3. How does Easter impact you?

The world is a really hard place right now. My heart breaks for the people of Belgium and all those touched in some way by the despicable act of terrorism in the Brussels Airport this week.  

Closer to home I know so many struggling with significant health challenges, difficult and painful family situations, and more. 

And into this great big mess of a world comes Easter. I love the way God makes all things new. I love the way even the Earth submits to His grand design as winter turns to Spring. 

Easter reminds me this place is not my home. That in this world we will have trouble, but Jesus has overcome the world. That we only see in part, but God knows the end from the beginning. Easter says there is hope. Live hopefully. 

"...Now we live in the hope of eternal life because Christ rose again from the dead. And God has reserved for his children the priceless gift of eternal life; it is kept in heaven  for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And God, in his mighty power, will make sure that you get there safely to receive it because you are trusting him. It will be yours in that coming last day for all to see. So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead...' 1 Peter 1:3-6 (The Living Bible)

4. I saw this somewhere on Facebook and thought it would make a fun Hodgepodge question. Which of the following would you find most disappointing...

a just stuffed taco shell breaking open and spilling out when before you take the first bite? dropping a just-purchased Starbucks/Dunkin Donuts coffee? opening the peanut butter jar and finding it empty? upending a just-purchased ice cream cone?a burnt bagel popping up in your toaster when you're rushing breakfast? or cutting into an avocado and finding out it's rotten? 

I really hate cutting into an avocado that's rotten, but if the taco incident happened to me I'd likely be wearing the taco, and that would be most annoying. 

5. What's something held together with tape at your house? Or a paper clip? Or a wing and a prayer?

I want to say the Internet. I can be happily typing, reading, surfing around, step away for a quick second, and then step back to the computer only to see the message-'you are not connected to the Internet'. 

Refresh, refresh, refresh, hit the keyboard a few hundred times, flip the switch on the magic black box a few hundred times more, resist inserting a naughty word, refresh again, and finally it's back. Grrrr....

6. Do you feel underappreciated? In what way?

No, at least not by my little family of five. I know I'm appreciated as a wife and mother, and I think as a mother-in-law too. 

7. What's something you'd build if you knew how?

I wish I had the skill to do rock work, as in build a retaining wall, an outdoor firepit, etc. That would come in handy right about now. 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Happy Easter to each one of you reading here today...love wins. 




Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 260

Welcome to the first Springtime Hodgepodge of 2016! I hope there's not snow where you are, but if there is the Wednesday Hodgepodge is a happy distraction. Here are this week's questions. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to share answers with your peeps. See you there!


1. Has spring sprung in your little corner of the world? Other than the calendar how would I know? What's your favorite thing about spring?

2. Besides the weather, what's put a spring in your step recently?

3. How does Easter impact you?

4. I saw this somewhere on Facebook and thought it would make a fun Hodgepodge question. Which of the following would you find most disappointing...

a just stuffed taco shell breaking open and spilling out before you take the first bite? dropping a just-purchased Starbucks/Dunkin Donuts coffee? opening the peanut butter jar and finding it empty? upending onto the sidewalk a just-purchased ice cream cone? a burnt bagel popping up in your toaster when you're rushing breakfast? or cutting into an avocado and finding out it's rotten? 

5. What's something held together with tape at your house? Or a paper clip? Or a wing and a prayer?

6. Do you feel underappreciated? In what way?

7. What's something you'd build if you knew how?

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Monday, March 21, 2016

That Weekend We Stayed Home

We were home this weekend. Somehow that feels worthy of a mention, because y'all! The miles we're logging in March are ridunkulous. So many car trips to neighboring states, which in my head feels like it shouldn't be many, but when I do the math the number of miles trekked is over 2000. 2000!!!  Since the first of March. And that doesn't count air miles from a trip to California, or a flight to Newark, or one to Phila or one to Raleigh via Baltimore.

I'm declaring us officially over-traveled this month. All work and family related but still, way over-traveled.

We were at home this weekend though, and had a lot of little annoyances to deal with because we were finally home to deal with them. So we did. Because we're grown ups.

Of course there was also this-


How can you be cranky when the sky is painted all your favorite colors?

Friday night hubs and I had a date with Daughter2 and her boyfriend. We went to a restaurant we love downtown that serves Belgian beer and moules and frites in a pub like setting that makes us all miss the real thing. It's close though, and close will have to do.

Hubs and I watched a lot of the NCAA games all weekend long, and WOW there's still so much fun and excitement in college basketball. Also there's something in my DNA that causes me to get really tense when a game is close. That Xavier-Wisconsin game won with an amazing toss to the basket in the literal last second of the game made me a nervous wreck.

I don't even care about those teams, but my stomach was in knots. Also, I hate when they breakaway to the losing team. Some of the boys were crying, and it's then you remember they're college kids, not NBA pros and I think of their mamas and how they'd probably like to run out on the court and put their arms around their baby boys. They don't but I'm sure they'd like to.

Did anyone watch The Passion Live, hosted by Tyler Perry? Just curious what you thought? I wasn't sure what to expect, and initially I thought it was disjointed, particularly with the man on the street interview, but we kept watching and it definitely grew on me. I'm sure the producers will be criticized for putting a modern spin on the greatest story ever told, but I looked at the crowd that came together and thought of all the people watching at home, and I have to say I admire the effort. Also, Tyler Perry narrated the show, and had a very gentle boldness in word and tone as he spoke about God's love for every single one of us. I found it refreshing, and a welcome relief from the nastiness that's been spewing out of our televisions in recent months.

I finished two books this weekend, and enjoyed them both. The first was called The Book of Speculation (Erika Swyler) which someone recommended to me. It was an odd little story, but I got caught up in it, so carried on to the finish. The second was A Walk Across the Sun (Corban Addison) which I really liked. A heavy topic as it's a fictional account of the 'people trafficking' industry, but so well told it felt like non-fiction.

Finally here on a Monday in March, today's the day bloggers participating in this year's April A-Z Challenge reveal their theme.

If they have one.

Which I do.

Surprise!

Usually I'm still mulling it over, praying for a lightning bolt of inspiration to hit me on March 31st, but this year I'm good to go.

Well, not really good to go as I haven't actually written any posts yet, but I've got a theme and today that's what counts. Go me!

I like to keep my theme a bit broad so I can run with it in a variety of directions, and this year is no different. My theme is HOME. I mean we're building a house so how could it not be? Plus I have over 700 published posts tagged with the word home, so obviously it's a topic close to my heart.  My plan is to write a bit about the building process, but also a bit about what home means to me. This will allow me to look back and look ahead and also talk about the here and now.

We kick off with Letter A a week from Friday (April 1), then carry on through the alphabet with Letter Z landing on Saturday April 30th. We don't blog on Sundays because ain't nobody got time for that.  I hope you'll follow along! Happy Spring Everyone!

Thursday, March 17, 2016

The Sunny Side of Life

Happy St. Patrick's Day. Again. Why did I think Tuesday was St. Patrick's Day? I blame it on the time change. And middle age, but mostly the time change. 

My mom flew to SC last week to attend the conference with us, and she's still here so my sister and I are sharing. She's spent part of the time at my sister's house, and a couple of nights in the apartment with me too. It was her first trip here since we started the build, and she wanted to see the lot and especially the house progress. 


I'm going to blab her age, which she won't like at all, but y'all she's 85 and she's flying by herself to visit family and she's schlepping down a muddy hillside to get a look at the house (carefully, in shoes I've wrapped in plastic bags because the rain!), and then all the way down the hill which hasn't been landscaped so consequently is still filled with stray branches and vines underfoot just so she could stand on the dock and take in the beauty of the lake for herself. Go mom! 


And then she trekked through the house where the framers were working (yay!) with all their chords and boards and I only hope I'm as determined as she is when I'm 85. Hubs is not worried. I'm well on my way-ha! 


Also, sun glorious sun! 


Look at us all techy and 21st century. Mother-daughter selfies are my favorite.

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

The Luck of the Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge! If you've answered this week's questions add your link at the end of my post, then go say hello to your neighbor. Thanks for joining the party here on This Side of the Pond-


1. What do you think about luck?

I think for the most part we make our own. Sure there are some people who seem to be 'luckier' than others, but in all the ways that count it seems luck is preceded by hard work, perseverance, and determination. 

2. Not counting your own backyard, what's a favorite green space in your town, city, or state?

This spectacular college campus-




3. How do you make life more complex than it needs to be?

I think as I've gotten older I've tried to simplify the way I approach life. We always have a lot of logistics to manage here, but we try to do so as efficiently as possible. I do think worry makes life far more complex than it needs to be, so I try hard to contain it. 

4. I read here the three places you should visit with friends. They are-New York City, Hawaii, and Amsterdam (rent a bike, walk along the canal, visit one of their world class museums). I felt the need to expound on that one.  Moving on...Of the three places listed which would you most like to visit with friends? What's one place not on the list you think should be visited with friends?

A beach trip with friends is always fun, so today I'm going to say Hawaii. I lived in the NYC suburbs prior to moving south, and I've spent lots of time there with friends. I've also trekked around a fair chunk of Europe with friends, and would never turn down a trip across the pond. On the whole I think a beach trip with friends is easier than a city trip. 

5.What's the last live performance you saw? On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being best) how would you rate it?

I was at a women's conference last weekend (you can read about it here) and saw both Natalie Grant and Christy Nockles perform live. I give them a 10. And Natalie Grant's version of How Great Thou Art rates at least a 12. 

6. March 14th is National Potato Chip Day. Are you a fan? Your favorite flavor? Besides potato, what's your favorite chip type of snack?

I'm a fan, but I rarely buy them. As the saying goes, 'Nobody can eat just one.' Truth. My favorite flavors are Wavy Lays or Barbecued. And my favorite chip type of snack is definitely the pretzel. 

7. What rule is most important in your home?

Be kind. 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

 I don't know about y'all but I am missing that hour we lost on Sunday. Also, it was 80 degrees here today, so hello Spring! 



Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 259

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then march back here tomorrow to share answers with the whole wide world. Our little corner of it anyway.



1. What do you think about luck?

2. Not counting your own backyard, what's a favorite green space in your town, city, or state?

3. How do you make your life more complex than it needs to be?

4. I read here the three places you should visit with friends. They are-New York City, Hawaii, and Amsterdam (rent a bike, walk along the canal, visit one of their world class museums). I felt the need to expound on that one. Moving on...Of the three places listed which would you most like to visit with friends? What's one place not on the list you think should be visited with friends?

5. What's the last live performance you saw? On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being best) how would you rate it?

6. March 14th is National Potato Chip Day. Are you a fan? Your favorite flavor? Besides potato, what's your favorite chip type of snack?

7.What rule is most important in your home?

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Sunday, March 13, 2016

A Weekend of Abundance

What a fabulous weekend! Also, I'm pooped. And I'm so happy I have a teacher-daughter who helped keep us all moving in the right direction. Our crew may have been a bit tougher to herd than her actual third graders-ha!

Here we are ready to kick off a weekend filled with Abundance.


Abundant love. Abundant fun. Abundant joy.

My mother in-law turned 80 on Friday, and to mark the occasion we spent an amazing 24 hours in Asheville North Carolina at the Lifeway Women's Conference called Abundance. About 3500 women filled the US Cellular Center to hear a terrific line up of speakers, and as my mom put it '...her first rock concert.'


Not sure it qualifies as an actual rock concert, but Natalie Grant did bring down the house on Friday night. The girl can sang! She is a vocal powerhouse, and she wrapped it up with How Great Thou Art which moved everyone to tears. I've always loved the song, but her version is my new favorite.

It was so special to have some of my most favorite girlies in the row beside me all weekend. My mama, my big sister, that's me in the middle, my mother-in-law on the right, and my Daughter2 on the end. In a funny coincidence my mom and my mother-in-law were both sporting Spring Green jackets, which helped tremendously with tracking in a sea of women. Just ask the third grade teacher.

Annie Downs kicked off the Friday night speaker line up, and she is adorable and also hilarious and on top of that she's wise. Daughter2 and Grandma bought one of her books, and it was fun to get them signed by the author.


It took forever to get out of the parking garage Friday night, and in spite of the late hour (or maybe because of it) a stop at Waffle House seemed in order. Why does Waffle House always seem like a good idea until it doesn't?


My mom informed us she'd never been to a Waffle House, and that's all we needed to hear. Waffle House is a great place for late night people watching. Just ask the folks who saw us come in.

We stayed up way too late but managed to be back in our seats Saturday morning for the 8:15 start time. Lifeway! 8:15??!


Christy Nockles led worship all weekend, and y'all she is awesome. The girls who started She Reads Truth were on the agenda first thing, and if you've never checked out She Reads Truth get yourself to their website. 


Daughter2 was especially excited to meet them, and of course my mother-in-law needed to introduce herself too, because she recognized the uncommon surname of one of the girls, and they needed to chat about shared connections in East Tennessee.

My mother-in-law knows everybody y'all.

I am not kidding.

We heard from two more speakers Saturday morning, Lisa Harper (I seriously wish she lived next door) and Lysa TerKeurst, who were both so good. Great messages were conveyed with great warmth.

In another funny coincidence, a friend from my Women's Bible Study group in NJ happened to be attending too. Her sister lives in NC so they came together, and we ran into one another several times, including in the parking garage on the way out (not literally!). Turns out we'd parked right behind one another.

It's a small wonderful world, isn't it?

Here I am with Daughter2 in the hotel parking lot. Disregard my crazy hair and the bags under my eyes. Question-why does Daughter2 look so cute when we were on the same schedule that involved little sleep and Waffle House at 11 PM ?


She drove my mom and sister back to SC and I drove my mother-in-law back to Tennessee, but I insisted on a photo. I needed a picture with the one who accurately read the GPS, who told me where to really turn, where to park, and where to find the car when all was said and done.

The one who made sure no one got lost, who happily took pictures when the women sitting around us needed pictures taken, who told us our glasses were on our head when we couldn't find our glasses, and who only rolled her eyes a little.

The one who reminded me that in a world gone mad, there are strong, faithful, confident young women seeking to know God's will for their lives and to live it.

Friday, March 11, 2016

SUYL-All About Me

I know most of the bloggers who link up with Kelly's Korner on Fridays are young enough to be my sister-ha! okay daughter but whatever, I'm linking up anyway. I love her blog.

Kelly's bringing back a link up she used to host on Fridays called Show Us Your Life (SUYL), and this week's theme is All About Me. Everyone participating is invited to tell their story so we can get acquainted. Hop over to Kelly's Korner if you want to play along.

I've been blogging since 2009 and feel like more than a few of you know everything there is to know about me. If that's you feel free to carry on with your weekending, but I'm guessing a handful of new readers will stop by via the linkup, so for you newbies here's the 411-

I've been married 32 years this June to my college sweetheart.


He is still my sweetheart.


Also in my head I'm 35.

We've moved nine times in 32 years (you do the math) with stints in Tennessee, Virginia, Ohio, New Jersey (twice), Maryland, England (sigh), and most recently South Carolina (the Upstate not the Lowcountry). My hubs retired at the end of February 2015, but accepted a brand new job in February 2016 so he's back on the treadmill.

Also the new job is not in South Carolina, but if you want complicated we're your people.

I am still manning the home front, fluid as that concept may be. I've worked as a speech pathologist, kindergarten teacher, school director, and have spent much of my non-working adult years as a volunteer. Volunteers make the world go round.

We sold our home in Northern NJ last June and moved into an apartment here in SC to supervise, fret over, and mostly hurry up and wait for our lake home to go up. We're halfway there, or at least I like to think we are.

I hope to goodness we've reached the mid point.


Is it possible we're not at the mid-point???

We broke ground at the end of September, and the rains came pretty much immediately after. We've had an enormous amount of weather related delays, but currently the dock is in, the house is framed, and fingers crossed the roof went on this week.


We're learning so much in the process and
thinkknow it will be worth it once we're in.



The absolute joy and deilght of my life are my two girls, both in their mid-20's. They inspire and amaze me with their brains, humor, creativity, and most of all with their tender, caring hearts. They're best buds and have been since the word go.


Daughter1 married the love of her life in January 2015, then promptly moved to the complete opposite side of the country to start life as a Mrs.


She works part time for Young Life, and full time spoiling her hard working Dr. Captain husband and their Boykin Spaniel. She blogs from Washington State at Sincerely Shannon.


Daughter2 lives right here in the Upstate (yay!) and teaches third grade. In her spare time (ha!) she keeps up with her Beach Body health and fitness program and her cute and slightly quirky Greyhound, Gemma.


Daughter2 also blogs (It's Elementary), and I so love keeping up with my girls both in person, and through their writing.


My blog is hard to quantify, but I like to say it's a slice of life, and a mostly happy one at that. I use too many words (you've probably figured that out on your own) and think I'm maybe more storyteller than blogger. You'll find a wide range of topics here, but the most common themes are mid-life observations, growing up girls, parenting young adult children, married life, the weather (sad, but true), our home build, our travels, life across the pond, home, family, and God's amazing grace.


I love Jesus, books, a cup of tea at 3 PM, all things England, 70's music, hiking, sunlight on the water, and new mercies every morning. I am a total and complete optimist (yes, even in 2016) and I host a fun meme here every week called The Wednesday Hodgepodge.

Whew. Okay, your turn. What's your 411?

Thursday, March 10, 2016

The Seven Year Itch

Once upon a time we had a love affair with a country not our own.


Seven years ago this week we were here.


Corfe Castle on England's Jurrasic Coast. 


A Saxon stronghold, a Norman Fortress, a royal palace...


...a day out with your family.


A lot has changed in seven years.


Not at Corfe Castle, which has remained unchanged now for some several hundred years, but our lives? Our lives have seen significant change.

We've moved stateside, and then moved again stateside...


Daughter1 graduated from uni. Daughter2 graduated from uni. Daughter2 graduated from uni grad school.


Daughter1 got married. Daughter1 moved across all the states stateside.
Daughter2 began teaching school.


We said goodbye to our sweet pup.


Hubs retired.
Hubs went back to work.


We've lived and loved and learned so much these last seven years.


But once upon a time we had a love affair with a country not our own.


I've got the seven year itch.