1. The sweetness of summer...where have you found it recently? If you're in the Southern hemisphere, feel free to find some sweetness in your winter.
Well I've written three posts (so far) about summertime sweetness which you can read here, here, and here. In a nutshell though I'm finding sweetness in the beauty of nature and my adorable grandsons.
I 'borrowed' these pics from my Daughter1. Sweet!
2. Take your sweet time, sweet tooth, home sweet home, short but sweet, the sweet smell of success, sweet talk...choose a sweet idiom and tell us how it fits your life currently?
It's 2020, right? Then home sweet home it is.
3. Sweet as honey, sweet as sugar, or sweet as pie, which phrase do you use when a sweet phrase is called for? What's the last sweet treat you indulged in?
Of the three phrases listed I think I tend to say sweet as pie. As far as sweet treats go, my sister and brother-in-law were here for an outdoor brunch on Saturday and my brother-in-law celebrated a birthday a few days earlier. Daughter2 wanted to bake him something, and since it was breakfast she opted for coffee cake.
My brother-in-law likes carrot cake so she made a scrumptious carrot coffee cake with a cream cheese glaze. The best part of the cake though, was the topping under the glaze, a buttery streusel. Yum! Sadly I did not take a picture, but you can find the recipe here.
4. First thing that comes to mind when you hear the word fidget?
Church? I kind of remember my parents whispering down the pew for us to 'stop fidgeting'. I might still fidget a little in a church pew. I mean if we were actually having church in church instead of online, then you might find me fidgeting. Church from my couch not so much.
5. Share with us one of your favorite childhood travel memories.
I have quite a few, so it's hard to choose just one. We did not travel the way people travel now. Travel was a treat and not a regular occurrence, which is perhaps part of what makes those trips memorable.
One of my favorites was a road trip from our home in the Garden State all the way to East Tennessee. We were dropping my sister off at uni and visiting colleges along the way too as my brother was starting his Junior year of high school.
I guess I must have been almost 11 and my younger sister was almost 10. We didn't book hotels ahead of time, and we kids begged my dad to stop at various lodgings based solely on the look of their pool. I think he mostly obliged.
It was also my very first trip to the Smokies, Gatlinburg, and a place some seven years later I'd call my home. In fact I'd marry me a Tennessee boy, but of course nobody had any inkling of that back then. Back then we were all about a hotel with a great pool.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
People are so creative...did you see this story of the 14-year old girl from Libertyville IL who has done chalk drawings featuring her 9- year old little brother every day during quarantine. So clever!! You'll find the link here.
Your grands are so cute and they make summer special. I love carrot cake though I have not had it in a long time. You made me think of the pools we loved swimming in on our vacations.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe how big your oldest grandson is! They are both just adorable!
ReplyDeleteThat young lady is really talented. It's going to be interesting to see what she does when she grows up.
Glad to be back! :)
Your grandsons are adorable! I did see the girl's drawings for her brother; Amazing.
ReplyDeleteYou grandkids are so cute and that coffee cake sounds really good. Loved the chalk page...thanks for the link. Thanks too for hosting the Hodgepodge. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteAwww...love the photos of your grandsons, smiles.
ReplyDeleteI love seeing pictures of your grandson's. Looks like #1 takes after his father and #2 takes after your daughter. I'm definitely going to check out the carrot cake recipe. Yum on both desserts! Yep, church is a great place for kids to fidget. The trips sound nice and yes there had to be a pool. Heading over to check out that girl in Libertyville.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you never get enough of those photos from your daughter of your adorable grandboys! The newest is growing so fast. That coffee cake sounds like something I should make for my brother in law when he comes to visit in August. He's a carrot cake fan. Your traveling adventures were fun to read about. I didn't stay in a motel until I was in college on a drive to San Francisco with my sister and it was one with no pool and a flashing light outside our window...very cheap.
ReplyDeleteYour grandsons are so cute! That coffee cake sound delicious. Thank you for the link to the chalk drawings article! My kids and I just read it. She's an amazing big sister isn't she? That made my day!
ReplyDeleteJan
Laughter and Consistency
Just checked out the chalk drawings...so clever and amazing!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your travel memory Joyce. :-)
ReplyDeleteI grew up 10 miles from where my husband grew up. He lived in a different county, we did not go to the same school. Who knew we would marry. Kind of like you not knowing you would marry a Tennessee boy. LOL
Sweet, sweet travel story. :-)
Your grandsons are so adorable! Even though I was born and raised in Florida with our own swimming pool, swimming pools at motels while on vacation were always so much more fun for some reason. Thanks for hosting, have a great week!
ReplyDeleteYour grandchildren are beautiful. Love that cute little one sticking out his tongue.
ReplyDeleteThose chalk drawings are so clever, well-done, and VERY THOUGHTFUL of a big sister for her little brother. Thanks for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteJoyce, you gave us another fun Hodgepodge and I sure enjoyed reading yours! Cute story about picking a hotel based on their pool. I can understand that!! Your boys are so adorable!! I know you long to hold them and kiss those cheeks! xo
ReplyDeleteJoyce, it took some doing but I got my post written :) I'm glad to be able to join in again. Your grandsons are growing like weeds! Both are so adorable. We'll soon have a 14 year old, who looks a lot more like a woman than a girl...where does time go?
ReplyDeleteKathy (Reflections)
So much to enjoy today with your post. Those adorable children!! That is definitely the sweetness of summer. I do agree with Home Sweet Home, although I have been out quite a bit and both churches I attend have been open for weeks. The carrot coffee cake sounds wonderful and love the memories of your road trip. Road trips were truly different back then and I believe we only stayed in a motel twice! And the Jolly Roger in Arlington near Six Flags did have a pool!
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