A Hodgepodge Salad

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Here we go-

1. February is coming to a close. Give us a two-word phrase that tells us something about how yours went.

Baby love 

2. If you had to describe how you're feeling right now as an amusement park ride, what ride are you on? Explain. 

I'm going with Thunder Mountain Railroad which is a roller coaster, but without the super big dips, drops, and rolls. It's described as a train racing down a track, bumpy in places, but the main thing is it's fast, which is how life seems to be moving here in 2024.  

3. What's something on your desk or a nearby wall that cheers you up when you see it or walk past? 

For Christmas every year our girls make us a calendar with pictures of the grands from the year that was. My frig cannot hold a magnet so I have the calendar on a 3M hook on the side of the frig. 

I see it many times a day as I open and close the frig, or just work in the kitchen, and it never fails to make me smile. I look forward to flipping the page to a new month this Friday. 

4.  Are you a salad eater? How many salads do you typically eat in a week? Your favorite kind of salad? 

I love a salad, almost any combo of veggies (love a fruit salad too!), and I eat one pretty much every day, if not for lunch then with my dinner. I love a true Cesar but mostly eat some sort of 'garden salad' with whatever I have on hand. Oftentimes for lunch I make a salad and sprinkle a little cheese and maybe some ham or turkey to add protein, or I add a hard boiled egg. It makes a satisfying lunch, filling without a lot of calories. I do not like a lot of dressing on my salad and sometimes eat it without any dressing at all. 

5. Without telling us the category give us your top five ______________. 

How Great Thou Art 
This Is My Father's World

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Crown Him With Many Crowns

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Today is my son-in-law's birthday so happy birthday to him! Next week my other son-in-law will celebrate his birthday, and what a gift these two men are to our family. Throwing it back to when they joined the party here-

January, 2021

January, 2015

They're wonderful fathers, husbands, sons, brothers, and friends. Hard-working, even-tempered, dependable, and lots of fun. We're so grateful to their parents for raising them to be the men they are, and we absolutely love the way they've grown our family and care for our girls. 

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 540

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then hop back here tomorrow to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. February is coming to a close. Give us a two-word phrase that tells us something about how yours went.

2. If you had to describe how you're feeling right now as an amusement park ride, what ride are you on? Explain. 

3. What's something on your desk or a nearby wall that cheers you up when you see it or walk past? 

4.  Are you a salad eater? How many salads do you typically eat in a week? Your favorite kind of salad? 

5. Without telling us the category give us your top five ______________. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

The View From My Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post. Then leave a comment for your neighbor there because comments make the blog world go round. Here we go-

1. What kind of thinker are you-doer concrete thinking) analyst (analytical and abstract thinking), orator (logical thinking) inventor (imaginative thinking) or original thinker (creative)? What makes you say so? You can try this little quiz (link here) to help with your answer. 

Naturally I took the quiz and found it a bit confusing as the total percentages added up to more than 100%. Whatever...it did indicate numbers are not my thing so it's right on at least one count. I'm mostly an orator which is not a surprise to anyone, is it? I think mostly in terms of words and logic and both writers and teachers generally fall into this category. 

2. Do you own a crock pot, air fryer, and/or instapot? Do you leave said small appliance sitting out? How often do you use it/them? Favorite thing to make in one of these? 

I still have my trusty crock pot and use it more this time of year (winter) than in other seasons. My favorite thing to make in my crock pot is the Mississippi roast, but I also make stroganoff, jambalaya, and a Mediterranean chicken that are all tasty.  

I keep my crock pot in the pantry and part of the reason I don't go all in on an air fryer or instapot is because I don't like the idea of them sitting out on the countertop. I'm retired so rarely need to cook anything fast. 

3. What's something you hold a strong opinion on that matters not at all in the grand scheme of things? 

How to load a dishwasher lol. 

4. Describe the view from your window. 

I normally blog from my office but happen to be sitting at my kitchen island currently. The view is not too shabby...

...blue sky, blue water, tall trees

5. Do you have a favorite brand? Explain.

I'm sure I have many favorite brands. I also have become much more attuned to what some of the companies whose products I love are supporting with their profits. We can't do a deep dive into every single thing we purchase, but if advertising that goes against my own principles is in my face I'll find an alternative product. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

February got the memo and her sunrises have been so pretty in pink ...

Monday morning

Tuesday morning

Happy Wednesday everyone! 

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 539

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here to add your link to the party. See you there!

1. What kind of thinker are you-doer concrete thinking) analyst (analytical and abstract thinking), orator (logical thinking) inventor (imaginative thinking) or original thinker (creative)? What makes you say so? You can try this little quiz (link here) to help with your answer. 

2. Do you own a crock pot, air fryer, and/or instapot? Do you leave said small appliance sitting out? How often do you use it/them? Favorite thing to make in one of these? 

3. What's something you hold a strong opinion on that matters not at all in the grand scheme of things? 

4. Describe the view from your window. 

5. Do you have a favorite brand? Explain.

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

No Such Thing As Too Much Sugar

So it's been a minute. Where were we? Oh yeah, we were waiting on a baby and she's here! 

Our fifth grandchild was born a little over a week ago, a precious little girl who already has us completely wrapped around her teeny tiny perfectly formed fingers. 

You might think number five would be no big deal, but I'm here to tell you every single birth is a very big deal, every birth an actual miracle. It's amazing to look at the 11-week ultrasound snapshot hanging on my daughter's frig and recognize the beautiful baby I'm holding in my arms is that same girl. 

I drove over to my daughter's house early (in fact, almost three weeks early) because the doctor was convinced this little girl was in a hurry. Turns out she really wasn't, but I don't mind. It was nice having some time with my own baby girl and it calmed nerves knowing I was in the house should she have to go to the hospital in the middle of the night. 

She did not, but! she was able to get her haircut, see the dentist, and have a pedicure without her toddler in tow. These are all things that going forward will require a lot more planning and likely be far less relaxing, at least for a while. 

To everything there is a season. 

My granddaughter's momma (aka Daughter2) was not big on sleep when she was a baby and hubs and I spent many a dinner hour with her wailing (and possibly me too on occasion). But you know what? We laugh about that now. It was just a part of who she was and who she is...a girl who knows her mind, who lives large, and who loves her momma. 

I look at my girl now, married woman and mom of two, and I remember her sweetness. I remember her spunk and her joie de vivre, but the night after night of interrupted sleep? The days where it seemed like bedtime would never get there??? Well those moments not so much.  

Which I know is not a great comfort when you're in the thick of it, but true nonetheless. Being with my daughter and her newborn baby girl and her 20-month old little man whose world has been rocked a little,  it comes back to me how absolutely exhausting those early years of parenting are.

And how absolutely wonderful too.

Be My Hodgepodge Valentine

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Everyone LOVES comments. Here we go-

1. What does love mean to you? 

Wow, jumping in to the deep end right off the bat. 

For me love is an action word. It's not just talking the talk which is mostly easy, but it's also walking the walk which is sometimes easy and sometimes not. If you love someone you need to be all in. Love is a commitment and it really is all the things we pledged at the altar... for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health.  

It's an easy thing to say 'I love you' but those words have to be given life, otherwise they're just words. Real love demonstrates on a daily, sometimes hourly basis, patience, kindness, and humility. It's slow to anger and requires putting the needs and welfare of another before your own.  

2. Is love blind? 

Maybe initially, but love that lasts a lifetime is not blind. I read a quote attributed to a Rabbi Julius Gordon that said, " Love is not blind. It sees more and not less, but because it sees more, it is willing to see less." 

I like that. 

3. How do you remember Valentine's Day as a kid? Do you have any special plans for the day this year?

I loved Valentine's Day as a child. We always had a party at school and everyone made and decorated their own 'mailbox' usually out of a shoebox. It was fun to choose Valentine's and then decide which friend would get which Valentine. Always one for the teacher too. It was simple and generally they were just small cards in tiny envelopes, and our parents were not involved in their creation lol. 

Hubs and I typically make a special dinner at home, which we plan and cook together. This year he and I will be in two different places, but we do have a fun evening planned next week and will call that our 'Valentine's Day'. 

4 Are you a fan of the movie genre known as 'rom-com'? What's your favorite (or one of your favorites)? 

Am I a fan? I guess so. It would be hard to choose just one favorite rom-com but Sweet Home Alabama, 27 Dresses, and When Harry Met Sally are three I can watch again and again. 

5 What's something you recently put your heart into? 

I'm drawing a blank. I mean I don't do things halfway so if I'm working on a project, cooking a special meal, hosting guests, selecting a gift, etc I'm going to put my heart into it. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Spending the day with my newest little Valentine...

Wishing you a day filled with sweetness too! 

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 538

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then hop back here tomorrow to add your link to the Valentine's Day party. See you there! 

1. What does love mean to you? 

2. Is love blind? 

3. How do you remember Valentine's Day as a kid? Do you have any special plans for the day this year? 

4 Are you a fan of the movie genre known as 'rom-com'? What's your favorite (or one of your favorites)?

5. What's something you recently put your heart into? 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Waiting On The Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's edition of TheWednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Or all the bloggers before you if you've got the time. Here we go-

1. Something you've waited for recently? 

Our new granddaughter to arrive. She's not in a hurry. 

2. What's something you loved to do as a child? 

Ride my bike without holding on, run through the sprinkler on a hot summer day, jump rope, read...it's a long list...

3. Something you learned from a grandparent? 

From my maternal grandmother: the importance and power of prayer in daily living, how to make iced tea by the glass, and to know there is great beauty found in a gentle quiet spirit. 

4. The most visited cities in the world last year (according to this site) were-Bangkok, Paris, London, Dubai, and Singapore. Have you been to any of the cities mentioned? Which would you most like to see? How do you feel about international travel in general these days? 

Of the cities listed I've been to Paris, London, and Dubai. I don't feel the need to make another trip to Dubai, but would happily revisit London and Paris. Singapore would be a place I'd like to see, but not sure I'll have the opportunity. So much world, so little time. 

How do I feel about international travel these days? Well, travel in general in recent years has its challenges and the actual getting from one place to another (by air) requires an extra measure of patience. Still it's worth seeing the world I think. 

5. February is the perfect month to ______________________.

Cozy up beside the fire with a stack of books. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Been singing this one all week long lol...

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 537

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here and add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. Something you've waited for recently? 

2. What's something you loved to do as a child? 

3. Something you learned from a grandparent? 

4. The most visited cities in the world last year (according to this site) were-Bangkok, Paris, London, Dubai, and Singapore. Have you been to any of the cities mentioned? Which would you most like to see? How do you feel about international travel in general these days? 

5. February is the perfect month to ______________________.

6. Insert your own random thought here.