A Photo Finish Hodgepodge

Welcome to another week in 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 that's what good blog neighbors do. Here we go...

1. Did you watch the Kentucky Derby this past weekend? Have you ever been to a horse race? Ever ridden a horse? Did you enjoy it? Have you ever been to Kentucky? Do you like Bourbon? 

We did watch the Derby. We had an impromptu party which I wrote about in Monday's post (Oh Hey Monday). This year's race was one of the most exciting in a long time, a literal photo finish. I think the winner was over the line by half a hoof. 

I've never been to the Derby, but I have been to a few horse races. When we lived in NJ we used to go to the race at Far Hills every year as guests of someone hubs did business with. It's held in the fall and it's a steeplechase. I always enjoyed it and wrote about it on my blog several times. Off To The Races was the first one. There's more, but is anyone going back to 2011 on my blog to read about a horse race? 

Carry on. 

I've ridden a horse, but it's been a while. I used to ride horses at summer camp. Hubs and I have also had a couple of horseback outings while traveling for some of his work trips, one in St. Lucia and one in Sedona. In St. Lucia they let us take the horses on the beach and that was especially fun. 

St. Lucia, 2002-horesback riding on the beach in my mom jeans 

I've been to Kentucky several times, twice on 'the bourbon trail'. 

I'm not a bourbon drinker but the distilleries are in some very pretty countryside and I enjoyed our visits there. 

2.  What's something you wish you'd placed in a time capsule twenty-five years ago? 

Hmmm, I knew this question sounded familiar. I asked one very similar to it just last year. Oops. The original question when I posted them yesterday said fifteen years ago, but then I switched it to twenty-five. Answer whichever time frame is easiest for you. 

Twenty-five years ago feels like it should be high school but when I do the math I come up with 1999. Can that be right? 

Remember 1999 when we were all a dither about Y2K?  I have a few packs of Pokemon cards that people started trading that year so might include those. Is Pokemon still a thing? 

Or maybe I'd include a phone because I had a big clunky phone in 1999. Or a video camera. Ours was the kind you hoisted on your shoulder which made it look like you worked for a major news network. Probably something tech because 1999 technology was a long way from where we are today. 

3. Are you adventurous? Elaborate. 

Reluctantly lol. And I guess it depends what you mean by 'adventurous'. I'm not going to hang glide, bungee jump, or skydive but I will try other sorts of things some people might find scary. I looked up the definition and Webster says, 'willing to take risks or try out new methods, ideas, or experiences'. 

I did move abroad with two teenagers in the house, traveled solo in Europe a couple of times, ate some unidentifiable something from a styrofoam cup in Taiwan, and will speak comfortably in front of large gatherings of people, so I'm that kind of adventurous

I'm also married to an adventurous person and sometimes I get talked into pulled in to the fun. 

4. Something you want to make this year? It can be a new recipe, craft, diy project, a milestone you've set for yourself...anything at all. 

I have too big goals for putting together some scrapbooks for my grandchildren this year. I've bought some supplies and printed a few pictures but I need to get crackin'.  

5. Cinco de Mayo was also celebrated this past weekend...do you like Mexican food? If so what's your favorite dish? Have you ever been to Mexico?  Margarita-yes or no?

I love Mexican food and enchiladas are probably my favorite. Unless guacamole counts and if yes then that's my favorite favorite. I've been to Mexico several times but have no desire to go there now.

Cancun with friends- 2011

Margarita? Yes please, on the rocks with salt. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Absolute sweetest post I've read in forever on my daughter1's blog Tuesday. It's not about me, but the words feel like a true happy mother's day gift. I've linked it here-Sisters and Mothers.  

Happy Mother's Day to mothers everywhere~

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 550

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to share answers with all your friends and a few strangers too. See you there! 

1. Did you watch the Kentucky Derby this past weekend? Have you ever been to a horse race? Ever ridden a horse? Did you enjoy it? Have you ever been to Kentucky? Do you like Bourbon? 

2.  What's something you wish you'd placed in a time capsule twenty-five years ago? 

3. Are you adventurous? Elaborate. 

4. Something you want to make this year? It can be a new recipe, craft, diy project, a milestone you've set for yourself...anything at all. 

5. Cinco de Mayo was also celebrated this past weekend...do you like Mexican food? If so what's your favorite dish? Have you ever been to Mexico?  Margarita-yes or no?

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Oh Hey Monday

Let's recap the weekend that was. We were home again, two in a row so whoohoo! I love at home weekends, especially this time of year. I also love weekends away, but there's gotta be a few at home to help us keep our balance.  

Friday night hubs and I sat on the deck and listened to music. Complete chill at the end of a busy week,  and in general this is where you'll find us on Friday nights for the next six months-ish. 

Or you might also find us here-

The pup  loves morning coffee on the dock with his best bud. 

I was out Tuesday night when hubs texted asking if we could have a few people over for the Derby on Saturday. I said sure and next thing ya know we have twenty coming to celebrate the run for the roses with party snacks and mint juleps. 

I do love a good theme party and if I'd had more notice I'd have gone to town with recipes and decor, but Amazon to the rescue and we managed to get a few fun things for our fun people. 

Everyone was bringing some sort of appetizer and hubs got right to work on his super special julep juice.  He fired up the green egg for wings (these were his very best ever!!) and I found a recipe online for Derby Pie cupcakes. 

If you've never had Derby Pie it's a gooey chocolatey nutty pie and it's scrumptious but not practical for a party, so I thought the cupcakes (recipe here) would be an easy option. I was so wrong. I think I used every bowl in my kitchen for this one. You first had to mix the batter ingredients and then you had to make a 'pie filling' on the stove, and when that was done you put the filling into two bowls, then you took three quarters from one bowl and put that in yet another bowl and on and on it went.  

Holy moly talk about labor intensive. 

Part of the filling also had to be poured onto a cookie sheet and baked. When it was done it had a toffee like texture and you broke it apart and added it to the icing. Oh my it was so yummy! 

The cupcakes didn't look especially pretty, but the taste was five stars. Sorry for the blurry photo...it came to me thirdhand. Did you watch the race? What a finish!! 

Sunday morning as we had coffee on the deck we noticed a blue heron on the shoreline. We watched him stalk a chipmunk in the rocks behind our firepit before nabbing it with precision, and then of course 'digesting' it.

After he'd dunked it in the lake several times to be very certain it was dead. It's one part icky and two parts completely fascinating. Another blurry photo but I had to zoom in about 150% so as not to scare him off. 

Our neighborhood wine club met Sunday evening which is always a lot of fun, and then we came home to this...

No better way to usher in a new week than with the visible reminder God keeps his promises.  

I'm linking up with Holly and Sarah again this week for their Hello Monday blog party..now tell me how was your weekend? 

Friday Faves

Trying yet another new (to me) link up today with some Friday Favorites, hosted by Erika at A Little Bit of Everything and Andrea at Momfessionals.  

First favorite...I had a facial on Monday morning and it was pure bliss. My primary care group has a brand new office and they've added a beautiful medical spa beside the main building. It might even be the same building but with separate entrances. I haven't had a facial in a long time and they're my absolute favorite spa treatment. 

I wish I hadn't loved the sun as much as I did when I was younger, but doing what I can now to correct what can be corrected. I'm not interested in surgical procedures but am on board with a good facial, Vitamin C serum, retinol, and the esthetician has me seriously considering laser now too. Has anyone done laser on their face? I have some dark spots that she can treat on their own, but she says I'm a good candidate for full face laser. 

Sounds super freaky and very 21st century, but here we are. 

We've been going (as per always) mach ten here for the past many months, and just stepping in to the quiet beautiful treatment room with the warm bed and the weighted blanket, the low light and subtle scent of lavender, it was exactly what I needed. I loved it so much I might have booked another. 

Up next...I rarely see a movie in the theatre anymore, but this week I went with some neighbors to see Unsung Hero. We all really enjoyed it. The film tells the true story of the Smallbone family, parents to the brothers from King and Country and their talented sister Rebecca St. James. Bring your tissues. 

Thirdly...I'm still walking in the neighborhood and like I said on Monday, there are some crazy steep spots I do not at all enjoy. But! When I get to the top of the first hill I'm rewarded with the sweet sweet scent of honeysuckle growing wild around the trunk of a tall tree. 

Y'all. That smell takes me right back to my childhood and summer afternoons at the swim club. Honeysuckle grew wild along the fence there and when the lifeguards shooed the kids out of the pool for adult swim we'd hang out by the fence tasting the honeysuckle. 

Next thing...hubs spent the entire day Thursday cleaning all of our porches, patios, outdoor rugs, outdoor furniture and the dock. Whew! It's an enormous job and I'd have broken it up a bit, but he is a 'giterdone' kind of guy so a full day it was. I volunteer on Thursdays so was not home to help, but this is his wheelhouse, and as he says 'The porch pirates are back in business'. 

Aaaand....because he knocked it out in a day we had our first morning coffee of the season on the upper deck this very morning. It's my favorite favorite. 

Lastly...we have baby bluebirds in our bluebird house. This is the sixth year I think and I'm guessing maybe it's the same mom and dad? 

Maybe not? I'm not an ornithologist, but I do love birds in the wild and these babies are adorable and noisy and their parents are beautiful. 

What are some of your faves from the week that was? 

Show Us Your Shelf

Joining a new link party today hosted by Joanne (Slices of Life), Jennifer (Overflowing With Thankfulness), Tanya (The Other Side Of The Road), and Marilyn (Memphis Bridges). Feel free to join with a bookish post of your own. 

This is week one of a new link up called Share Your Shelf, and today we're sharing what we read in April. I do love a good book recommendation so will definitely be checking out what others have on their blogs. 

Reading is one of the rare hobbies we can have that is both personal and communal. We each have our own individual tastes and preferences in terms of genre and writing style, but most readers also love to share titles, talk about books of all kinds, and discover new authors. 

I'm old school in that I still love to have that book in my hand. It's 2024 though, and I can admit technology has its place too. I've really enjoyed the Audible app this year. If you know us you know we log a lot of miles in the car trekking hither and yon and hubs and I have listened to a lot of great books that way. I download something I know will be of interest to him (he likes biographies, the Civil War, explorers, history, and the wild wild west) so oftentimes I'm listening to something I might not read otherwise. 

No real road trips in April so these are all me. 

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

Technically I finished this one at the end of March, but it was my book club's April title so I'm adding it here. I'm not much for writing reviews, I'd much rather we talk about our favorite and not so favorite books over a cup of tea, but I gave this one three stars on Goodreads if that helps. The plot revolves around four sisters, the ties that bind and the ones that break too. The author made a lot of references to Little Women, but unlike the original Jo, Beth, Amy, and Meg, I just could not connect with the sisters in Hello Beautiful. I actually found the men in the story to be the more likable characters.

Are We There Yet?: My Journey from a Messed-Up to Meaningful Life by Jeff Allen

I heard the comedian Jeff Allen interviewed on one of my favorite podcasts (Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey) and decided to read his memoir. This was a fast read and he writes like he talks. He shares honestly about his journey through addiction and especially anger, and the way God intervened in his life to change that. 

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle

Someone had recommended this to me, and while it's not my typical read (more chick lit than I usually go for) it was very enjoyable. A clever premise that required you suspend reality, but I bought in and ended up liking this one. Plus there was a twist I didn't see coming and I always appreciate an author who is able to pull that off. 

The Secret Life Of Sunflowers by Marta Molnar

This is our May book club selection so I won't say too much about it here. A novel based on the true story of Johanna Bonger, Vincent Van Gogh's sister-in-law. The novel hops back and forth between that and a related modern day story, a format I normally like. In this case I didn't think the author needed the new. The book wasn't bad, a little slow moving, but mostly I was disappointed the plot wasn't more Van Gogh focused. Another three star read for me. 

Okay...whose read something fabulous lately? Please share. 

The Merry Merry Month Of Hodgepodging

Welcome to the month of May and also to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. So glad you've joined the link up here today. If you've answered the questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for your neighbor there. Here we go-

1. Mayday! Mayday!...when was the last time (or a recent time) you literally or figuratively needed to call for help? Elaborate. 

Maybe not mayday exactly, because mayday sounds like an emergency, but I do always yell for hubs to help get new sheets on our bed. The mattress is so ridiculously heavy I feel like in another ten years I'll need to call in the professionals when it's time to change the sheets. I can get the fitted on without too much trouble, but it takes both of us to get that top sheet on. 

2. May Day...when was the last time you danced? Do you have a lot of baskets? What's something you keep in a basket? What's your favorite purple flower? 

Hubs college fraternity had a big anniversary celebration a couple of weeks ago with a great band, and we danced a lot. We like to dance. 

What do I keep in a basket? I have a basket of blankets people can grab for the porch and a basket of 'indoor' blankets too. I also have a basket for easy grab snacks in my pantry and a basket of books I put out when the grands are here.  

My favorite purple flower is the lilac. I also love a purple iris. 

3. What's something you may do this month?

Get my wallpaper hung in the lower level guest suite bath? Or at least get it scheduled. It's a tiny job so we'll see if I can make that happen. I have finally reached out to an installer so if not May (May is pretty packed with things here already on the calendar) then June for sure.  

4. Do you like eggplant? Quick topic changes lol? If you said yes in answer to the eggplant question how do you like yours prepared? Of the following purple foods, which one is your favorite...plums, purple carrots, purple asparagus, eggplant, acai berries, blackberries, purple cauliflower, elderberries, purple potatoes, or passion fruit? 

I love eggplant, my favorite is homemade eggplant parm and I especially like Alex Guarnasachelli's recipe. It is super labor intensive but so scrumptious it's worth it. I typically make it once a year with eggplant from my daughter's in-law's garden. 

I like all the purple foods listed, but plums are my favorite. 

5. The calendar turns on Hodgepodge Day...

"Then you have to remember to be thankful; but in May one simply can't help being thankful that they are alive, if for nothing else."-L.M. Montgomery

Tell us one thing you're thankful for today. 

Hubs and I finally sat down together and sorted out flights for a trip we have coming up this fall. This is always the hardest part of travel planning and I'm grateful and excited to have this bit done, and have the dates officially on the calendar. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Do any of you have your blog printed into a book? I've been using Blog2Print for years to do this and I like their finished product. Sadly I see they are closing up shop, so I'm looking for another option. Please share if you have one. 

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 549

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. Mayday! Mayday!...when was the last time (or a recent time) you literally or figuratively needed to call for help? Elaborate. 

2. May Day...when was the last time you danced? Do you have a lot of baskets? What's something you keep in a basket? What's your favorite purple flower? 

3. What's something you may do this month? 

4. Do you like eggplant? Quick topic changes lol? If you said yes in answer to the eggplant question how do you like yours prepared? Of the following purple foods, which one is your favorite...plums, purple carrots, purple asparagus, eggplant, acai berries, blackberries, purple cauliflower, elderberries, purple potatoes, or passion fruit? 

5. The calendar turns on Hodgepodge Day...

"Then you have to remember to be thankful; but in May one simply can't help being thankful that they are alive, if for nothing else."-L.M. Montgomery

Tell us one thing you're thankful for today. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Hello Monday

Linking up today for a weekend recap with Holly from Pink Lady and Sarah at Sunshine and Books. 

We had a pretty quiet weekend here, mostly because hubs had a lot of real estate-ing happening, and that meant we needed to stick close to home. He worked with a client all day Friday and I did some things around the house that needed doing, which always feels good. We ate leftovers for dinner and watched the movie Moneyball that evening. It's been out for more than ten years, but somehow I'd never seen it. I liked it. 

In my efforts to get myself in gear this year I've started using a walking app called Better Me. Hello, yes I know it's nearly May but I'm just now getting around to sticking my big toe into 2024. 

Question-does anybody really need an app for walking? 

I mean it seems pretty straightforward, but exercise is such a mind game for me, I find the app helps. It's a series of timed walks of varying speeds, and each walk is broken up into blocks so you change your pace a few times along the way. It took me a couple of days to figure out how much faster fast walking should be than brisk walking, but I've got my pace now and have been sticking with it. Sticking with it is really the thing, right? 

Also I should get extra credit for fast walking in my neighborhood because we've got some hills that make you want to cry. Not just me! I've had runners tell me they won't run in our neighborhood because it's so deceptively steep. The app helps me keep going. 

Back to Friday night's leftovers...I made a knock off California Pizza Kitchen BBQ chicken salad last week and it was delish. 

I had to watch a youtube video on how to cut a jicama but no blood was shed in the process (which is not always the case with me and knives) so whoohoo. 

I followed this recipe more or less. It sounded like a lot of dressing so I cut back on that, and hubs grilled the chicken then just topped it with a little BBQ sauce. 

The salad tasted very much like what I remember having at the CPK restaurant, although it's been more than a decade since I've eaten in one, so I can't say for sure.

Wait!! It's been more than two decades? Is that right? 

Yes I know it's right because my kids were kids last time I ate in a CPK, not grown married women with kids of their own. They weren't even in high school. Gulp. 

Are CPK's still around? There was one in the mall when we lived in Annapolis and we used to go every now and then. Now I'm wondering if people even still go to the mall? 

All that to say I will for sure make this recipe again. And I promise there is grilled chicken under there. My food photo snaps could use some work. 

Saturday hubs had more real estate-ing to do and I spent a fair bit of time on the phone with my siblings and my momma and also caught up on laundry and then took care of some paper work that had accumulated in the office. Why is there so much paper when everything is paperless? 

Hubs wrapped up work on the early side and we decided to go for sushi at a local place we enjoy. An unplanned date night-

My neighbor texted and asked if we wanted to come by for a glass of wine on their patio when we got home, so that's what we did. It was such a pretty evening, the temperature was absolute perfection, and it made me so ready for summer nights, porch sitting, sunset chasing, and al fresco dinners with friends and family. 

Hubs had still more real estate-ing to do on Sunday so we didn't go to church, and I watched online instead. l got all my grocery shopping done for the week, then came home and baked peanut butter cookies for two different friends who've had a bit of a rough time lately. A homemade cookie says someone is thinking of you. 

And just in case you're wondering, the amaryllis king is still in business. This is the same plant my daughter brought home from her classroom five years ago, that she somehow dumped over in her car on the way here so it was a literal stick by the time she pulled in the driveway. She planned to throw it away, but hubs worked his magic and she's still blooming beautifully. 

You'll have to take my word for it. My plant snaps could also use some work.  

Thankful Thursday

I've recently had some new visitors to my blog, which has been a lot of fun. I've visited their blogs in return and discovered some fun new bloggers to follow, something I haven't had a lot of time for in the past year. Several of these writers blog in a similar vein to me aka the everyday ordinary stuff of life, and those are my favorite posts to read. I'm pretty certain we're the silent majority on the interwebs lol. 

In an effort to get back into some sort of rhythm here I'm going to try linking up with some blog hops during the month of May. Hopefully I'll find some inspiration there, and at the very least will get back into the habit of writing. 

Note to self...take more pictures. Words come more easily when there's a photo to serve as springboard.  

Note to readers...my photography skills are something slightly less than excellent. 

All that to say, I'm participating rather late in the day today with Thankful Thursday hosted by Jennifer at Overflowing With Thankfulness.  Never too late to be grateful though, right? The news lately is just one awful crazy unbelievable thing after another, and making a short list of things I'm grateful for helps shift my perspective. 

Let's go with a list of three things on this gorgeous Thursday afternoon-

1. It's an absolutely gorgeous Thursday afternoon. 

The sun is shining, the air is warm, the pollen is ka-raZy...

Okay maybe that last one shouldn't be there but hey, if we didn't have pollen we wouldn't have plants. Perspective is everything. 

2. An afternoon cuppa. 

Like a big exhale that feels so necessary at 3 o'clock on a sunny spring day. Winter day. Any old day. 

"Tea is to the body as music is to the soul" Earlene Grey 

3. Cousin time. 

While it didn't work out for us all to be together last weekend, my girls have managed a mid-week get together with all their littles...

Where there's a will there's a way. 

Daughter1 hadn't met her brand new niece yet, and that absolutely needed to happen. And of course the rest of the crew is just party party party, so a good time was had by all. 

They're wearing the matching shirts I bought for the weekend that didn't happen (if you're in the dark you can read about that here). The boys shirts say 'cousins make the best friends',  Little Miss has 'cousin crew' printed on her pretty pink tee, and Sugar's little onesie says 'new to the cousin crew'. Trust me, they're adorable. 

And we know to take what we can get when it comes to photos with the six and unders-ha! 

Back in December I'd given both of my girls as well as both of their girls matching pjs and they remembered to wear them ...

They also remembered to take a picture which in my case is the next best thing to being there. For that I'm grateful. 

My Hodgepodge Plans

Welcome to another 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. When did you last have cancelled plans? Were you happy about that or disappointed? 

This past weekend actually. You'll find the details here-What To Expect When You're Expecting (not that kind).  I was super disappointed at first, but I got over it and embraced Plan B. 

2. On a scale of 1-10 how much of a planner are you? 

1= I go where the wind takes me  

10=I've got a power point on it, no matter what it is

I'm definitely NOT a 1. And 10 sounds like someone who can't go with the flow when going with the flow is required, so I'm not a 10 either. I am a planner and in general, enjoy planning. I like lists and adding things to the calendar and figuring out what there is to see when we travel, etc. But I can also flex when flexing is necessary and it so often is. I'm calling myself a 7. 

3. Do you have a menu plan for the week? If so tell us one or two things that are on it. If not, what's your plan for not having a plan lol? 

I do. I hold it loosely because if someone suggests a meet up someplace I'm on board. I make a general meal plan at the beginning of the week and adjust as needed. We're out a lot and on the go a lot but since we're home this week, I'm trying to eat on the lighter side. 

I used to love the California Pizza Kitchen's BBQ salad and I'm making a knock off version of that this week. It calls for jicama which I like, but I've never cut into one so that's something new. I'm also making a slow cooker swiss steak on Thursday because I'm out for a good chunk of the day and like not having to think about dinner when I get home. 

4. The Hodgepodge lands on National Bucket List Day. Do you have a bucket list? Is it written down or just in your head? What is one thing on your bucket list? If you don't have a list, what is one thing you'd add to a list if you did? Yes I'm going to make you think about it. 

Not a written one, but I suppose there's one running through my head. I used to keep a list on my sidebar called 101 in 1001 which was a list of 101 things (both large and small) that I wanted to see/do/try/complete in the next 1001 days. I might revisit that now that I remember it's there. 

Okay, true story I went down a rabbit hole reading back over my lists and I'm definitely going to revisit. I might make it a link up if anyone would be interested in trying it too. Here are the links to my first list, and my second. The last one was 'completed' in 2018 so it's been a while. 

101 in 1001-Volume 1

Ready, Set, Goal-Volume 2

Back to today...what's one thing on my bucket list? A trip back to the UK with my hubs. Since moving back to the states in 2009 we've both made trips back, just not together. It's time. And it's on the calendar so whoohoo! 

5. Rain buckets, a drop in the bucket, couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, sweat buckets, cry buckets...which 'bucket' idiom applies to your life in some way currently? 

Nothing stands out, but 'couldn't carry a tune in a bucket' always applies lol. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Many of you who've been around the Hodgepodge a long time used to also read my daughter's blogs. They both more or less set them aside because life is busy and they're trying to be intentional about how much time they spend online while raising young children. 

Both are back, not in daily posting (ain't nobody got time for that!!), but they're figuring out what works in this season of life. Hop over and say hi if you're interested in catching up. Daughter1 shares some exciting news I will definitely be weighing in on, and Daughter2 most recently shared her baby's birth story, which isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoy reading them. I love the details written out to remember and wish I'd recorded more of life's everyday 'stuff' when mine were little. 

Daughter1-Sincerely Shannon

Daughter 2-It's Elementary 

Have a great Wednesday everyone! 

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 548

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. When did you last have cancelled plans? Were you happy about that or disappointed? 

2. On a scale of 1-10 how much of a planner are you? 

3. Do you have a menu plan for the week? If so tell us one or two things that are on it. If not, what's your plan for not having a plan lol? 

4. The Hodgepodge lands on National Bucket List Day. Do you have a bucket list? Is it written down or just in your head? What is one thing on your bucket list? If you don't have a list, what is one thing you'd add to a list if you did? Yes I'm going to make you think about it. 

5. Rain buckets, a drop in the bucket, couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, sweat buckets, cry buckets...which 'bucket' idiom applies to your life in some way currently? 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

What To Expect When You're Expecting (not that kind)

The kind of expecting where you're looking forward to something happening and then it does, but not in the way you expected. 

I spent this past weekend with daughter2, mostly holding baby girl who we've decided going forward will be known here as 'Sugar'.  She's so sweet y'all. 

Anyway, I spent almost all of my time with this little miss in my arms so daughter2 could hold her brother. He was feeling puny, wanting momma and only momma. You kind of forget what it's like to have sick kids in the house until you have sick kids in the house. 

Was this our weekend plan? 

No it was not. The original weekend plan was for both my girls to be in Tennessee with their littles while all of our hubs had their own obligations to tend to. I'd been looking forward to this for weeks because it's been a long while since it was just us girls (plus their 5 small children, but whatever). This was going to be both girls and me in the same place at the same time, no boys allowed. 

Except for the 6 and under set of course. 

Anyway, we girls were going to have some fun, take a picnic to the park, laugh a lot at all the cousins playing together in their matching cousin t-shirts, share deep thoughts and skin care products, and gab late into the night (well, later than 8:30 which is our usual bedtime when kids are in the house) for three complete whole entire days. 

Didn't happen. 

I did drive to daughter2's on Thursday, and daughter1 did plan to arrive with her crew on Saturday. 

There's that word again-plan. 

Things started off nicely. Friday morning daughter2 needed to visit the jeweler so we loaded up the baby and big brother and off we went. While my daughter was in the shop chatting about an order I was outside with the mister watching a large construction crew operate all the big equipment just across the highway. There were cranes and bulldozers, dump trucks filling and dumping, and best of all a 'digger', all making a lot of noise and moving a lot of dirt and rock. Little man was in heaven. When he waved at the digger operator the driver lifted the bucket up and down in the form of a wave back and it was the best.

We had lunch before heading home for naps, but by the time we got to the house it was apparent sweet baby J was running a fever. Bother. We finally had to tell daughter1 not to come because we certainly didn't need to share those germs with her family, and that was that. Plan blown. Expectation unmet. 

What can you do? 

Nothing really. Life happens and we have to adjust and move forward even when what we really want to do is stomp our feet and rail at the universe a little bit. 

We don't though. We adjust and move forward. We choose to find the silver lining...the bright side...the blue sky if you will. Maybe not in the first five minutes but we do get there. We pull on our 'let's make the best of it britches' and then we do just that. 

There are hours and hours of snuggles with a lapful of Sugar. 

There is the same book read no less than fifteen times because sweet baby J is not his usual oh so happy self and when Nana reads '....sometimes you're happy, sometimes you're sad'...and makes a great big sad face, he laughs. Somehow my sad face makes him happy and it's pure gold.  

There is sunshine. Glorious sunshine. We load everyone up in the strollers and feel the sun hit our faces and Vitamin D flood our veins and we can say with complete honesty that there is beauty in this day, this weekend, in spite of cancelled plans and unmet expectation. 

After babies are tucked in tight me and my girl (just one not two, but we're making the best of it remember?) sit on the couch and watch Next Level Chef. We discuss in great detail the choices these contestants make because we both love to cook, but we talk about many, many other things too.  

And suddenly, somehow, I feel grateful, not for cancelled plans, but for being right where I need to be. Lending a hand (or a lap), and having a front row seat to watch my baby girl mother her very own babies. What a gift. 

There is grace for the day y'all. 
For the ones that go swimmingly and the ones that fall to pieces too. 

Going Bananas For The Hodgepodge

Hello Hodgepodgers! Here we are again with another 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. What's a skill you think everyone should have? 

There are more than a few skills I think everyone should have so narrowing it down to just one is hard. Critical thinking, cooking, swimming, communication...each important in it's own way. 

2. Do you have a special place or organizational system for gift wrapping? Do you still buy 'real' cards to send for birthdays, anniversaries, get-well, etc? 

I sort of have a system, but it's not great. I actually keep my wrapping paper, ribbons, bags, etc in the attic. We have a walk up attic over our garage and I'm up and down the stairs there nearly every day for one thing or another. I need to better organize what I've got and also part with some gift bags that, let's be honest, I'm not going to reuse. Why are they so hard to part with???

I do still buy real cards. I love sending and receiving although will admit the cost has skyrocketed. I know that puts many people off, and I think the cost of stamps is going up too. Still l enjoy choosing cards that feel like they fit the recipient. 

3. It's National Banana Day...are you a fan? What's your favorite thing to make with bananas or, if you're not a cook, your favorite thing to eat that contains banana? 

Yes I like bananas, not too ripe and not too green either. Just right lol. I really dislike the overly ripe ones though, so they get turned in to banana bread which I love. I have a recipe that calls for coconut and has a lime glaze poured over top, which sounds a little odd, but trust me it's delish. I also love bananas in my oatmeal. 

My favorite thing to eat that contains a banana is a banana. Not too ripe and not too green. Just right. 

4. Do you believe in second chances? Elaborate. 

Yes. I think except in rare circumstances everyone deserves a second chance. 

5. What is your idea of fun? 

Jumping off the dock with my grandkids, a hike to a pretty waterfall, dinner parties, cards with friends, time in the kitchen with my girls, dining al fresco, boating to a friends dock for a champagne sunset, writing, a spontaneous road trip, a full house, porch time with my people...the list goes on. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I was inspired to clean out my closet today, a task that was long overdue. Have you ever gotten three quarters of the way through a job and decided you were no longer inspired? I feel ya. 

Happy Wednesday everyone! 

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 547

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. What's a skill you think everyone should have? 

2. Do you have a special place or organizational system for gift wrapping? Do you still buy 'real' cards to send for birthdays, anniversaries, get-well, etc? 

3. It's National Banana Day...are you a fan? What's your favorite thing to make with bananas or, if you're not a cook, your favorite thing to eat that contains banana? 

4. Do you believe in second chances? Elaborate. 

5. What is your idea of fun? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Patiently Answering The Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's 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. Do you complete your own tax returns or hire out? Something you've found taxing lately? 

We fill out an organizer and send it on to the professionals. To be honest I find just completing the organizer 'taxing'. 

Something I've found taxing lately? Nothing springs instantly to mind. How about this...hubs is vehicle shopping and while he thoroughly enjoys the process, I find the whole thing taxing. 

2. It's spring (in the northern hemisphere anyway)...would you rather spend the day hiking in the great outdoors or planting a garden? Do you/will you have a garden this year? 

Hiking. 

I could definitely enjoy planting a garden if I had the right spot for one here. And if we were home for more than three days in a row to manage it.  I like to hike and there are lots of nice trails nearby that we still need to explore so I'm going with hiking. 

3. Do you consider yourself a patient person? In what sort of situation is patience not desirable? Are you happy with the degree of patience you have in your daily life? If not, what can you do to cultivate more of this quality in your life? 

I would say I'm a very patient person, although sadly not as patient as I was when I was younger. I asked hubs if he thinks I'm patient and he said "definitely".  Impatience rarely makes a situation better and in general winds everyone up in an unhelpful way. 

When is impatience a good thing? Well, the opposite of what I said a minute ago could also be true. Impatience can sometimes motivate me to get things done that need doing. 

Mostly though, in my mind, patience is a positive trait, and impatience negative. 

4. Do you like the flavor cinnamon? If so what's your favorite something made with cinnamon? 

I love cinnamon, probably one of my favorite flavors. I make a sour cream coffee cake that's really more like a pound cake and it's definitely one of my favorite cinnamon foods. In the non-food category, I like a cinnamon scented candle in the kitchen. 

5. Learn by watching or learn by doing? Elaborate. 

Depends what we're learning, but mostly I'm a learn by doing person. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Whatcha reading? I just finished Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano for our neighborhood book club happening today (Tuesday). I thought it was just okay, but I know people who loved it. I thought the story held promise but the character development was weak. 

I'm currently reading The Secret Life of Sunflowers by Marta Molnar, historical fiction based on the true story of Johanna Bonger, Vincent van Gogh's sister-in-law. Enjoying it so far, but I've only just started this one. 

I recently finished Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks, which is also historical fiction. Based on a real event, a plague that struck the English village of Eyam in the mid-1600s, the tale follows the story of a young woman named Anna. A really interesting plot line, but I have to say one of the weirdest endings to a book ever. 

I'm also reading Are We There Yet ?: My Journey From A Messed Up to Meaningful Life by the comedian Jeff Allen. I heard him interviewed on a podcast and am enjoying now reading his story in book form. 

If you're reading something great I want to know! Happy Wednesday everyone!

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 546

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. Do you complete your own tax returns or hire out? Something you've found taxing lately? 

2. It's spring (in the northern hemisphere anyway)...would you rather spend the day hiking in the great outdoors or planting a garden? Do you/will you have a garden this year? Flowers, vegetables, or a bit of both?

3. Do you consider yourself a patient person? In what sort of situation is patience not desirable? Are you happy with the degree of patience you have in your daily life? If not, what can you do to cultivate more of this quality in your life? 

4. Do you like the flavor cinnamon? If so what's your favorite something made with cinnamon? 

5. Learn by watching or learn by doing? Elaborate. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.