Wednesday, April 8, 2026

G It's The Hodgepodge

Welcome to another week in the Wednesday Hodgepodge, and if you're keeping up, it's also week two in the April A-Z Blog Challenge. Today's post is brought to you by the letter G and you'll find my thoughts for the A-Z in the random thought space aka question #6. 

From this Side of the Pond

1. Egg on your face, putting all your eggs in one basket, a good egg, walk on eggshells, nest egg, or a tough egg to crack...which eggy idiom currently applies to your life in some way? Explain

None particularly feel like they relate to my life at the moment so let's go with 'a good egg'. 

My hubs is a good egg. 

2. April 7th is National Beer Day...are you a beer drinker? If so do you have a favorite? Beer battered fish, beer bread, beer can chicken, beer brats...which one sounds good to you? Have you made any of these? 

I've never been a beer drinker but I do like all the recipes mentioned that call for beer. I don't think I've ever made beer battered fish but have certainly eaten it many times. Hubs is in charge of brats here and he makes them using beer because our Wisconsin friends tell us that's the secret to a perfectly cooked brat. 

3. Do you have siblings? What's the best thing about being your sibling? If you don't have siblings, what would you say are the pros and cons of being an only child? 

I do have siblings, two sisters and a brother and I'm grateful my parents had a bunch of kids. I guess four counts as a bunch? Well I'm sure it felt like a bunch to them. 

The best thing about being my sibling? 

Dear sibs...You're my lifelong besties, my confidantes, my memory keepers and I hope you consider me the same. I always root for your success, and you can count on me to love and pray for you forever and ever amen. 

4. How do you feel about floral scents in products? Do you have a favorite?

I'm not a big fan of floral scents unless we're talking actual flowers. I particularly find anything labeled rose scented to be way too much. I do like the scent of lavender so that one might be an exception to my no floral rule, but so often floral scented products are too heavily scented for my taste. I prefer citrus and I suppose lemon trees bloom so maybe that is technically a floral.  

5. What's one thing in your home that begins with the letter G that you would say is a keeper, something you'll hold on to? Tell us why. 

I've used my random thought today to answer this question. One does what one must when trying to blog through the alphabet and also host a weekly link up.  

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I'm still at this A-Z Blog challenge thing (for details go here-) and today we've reached the letter G. 

Day 7-G is for a Grandchild's Countdown Calendar 

Today I'm talking about this sweet little countdown calendar my daughter1 made for us when she was pregnant with our first grandbaby, known here as The Mancub. 

He turns nine this summer but I hold on to it still. 

The months before he was born I kept this little calendar on my kitchen window sill and couldn't wait to flip the blocks as the weeks and months were counted down. 

Once he was here I kept the set on a shelf in my closet, until two years later when grandson number 2 was on the way. 7000 miles and an ocean between us, but still back to the windowsill it went. 

Not quite three years passed before grandson number three joined the party...

And then a few short months later our first granddaughter...

 And then another quick year went by and we were celebrating the arrival of granddaughter number two. 

You should know I'm in two different states, four different cities, and one foreign country in these pictures. We get around-ha! This little calendar has spent a lot of time on my windowsill in the past nine years, and now grandbaby number 5 is two years old. 

So do I keep it? 

Of course. I mean I don't know if there will be more grandbabies here, but I know this little calendar is a sweet reminder of some of the happiest days and years of our lives. 

It's back in my closet for now, and who knows? Maybe one day I'll gift it back to my daughter when she's preparing to welcome a grandbaby of her own. Wouldn't that be fun?! 

19 comments:

  1. The countdown blocks were an amazing gift! Love that so much and for the several times you've been able to get the blocks out of storage to display once more as a countdown. So sweet! I forgot about how much I like the scent of lavender! Thanks for the link up and have a great day!

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  2. That countdown calendar is so cute! I'm not a big fan of beer or floral scents either.

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  3. I love the sound of brats! I think I need to try making them.
    I don't mind rose scented things but lavender makes me feel sick. I never thought of citrus and lemon being classed as floral. hehehe. I do like those.
    Aww! That countdown calendar is just adorable. What beautiful photos!

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  4. The grandchild countdown blocks are so special. I love all the photos of you holding the newborns. They have some nice hair! I love all of your blouses in all of the photos, too. You know I would pick up on a nice blouse. Lol. Thank you for the link up!

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  5. I loved the answer to your random thought! The pics of you with all the grands is precious. You two certainly do get around, but one must do what one needs to do to see the babies, and I respect that. Thanks for hosting today! I can't wait to see you in a few days!

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  6. The grandchild countdown is such a cute gift for a new grandparent-to-be!

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  7. I feel largely the same about floral scents, and I don't like rose-scented things, just actual roses.
    I love those grandbaby countdown blocks - what a great idea! The photos of you with each of the babies are absolutely precious, so much joy captured in each photo!
    I'll be doing my best to get my visits and comments in a little earlier in the week, but right now I need to get out the door to work! LOL Have a great week!

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  8. What fun that grandbaby countdown calendar is! Love it. We started the grandbaby journey the same year. It has been wonderful. I'm thankful we got one of each, a girl and a boy. Our scent answer was very similar. I love your siblings answer! Blessings!

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  9. That's a sweet answer for #1. Those brats sound yummy. Sweet answer about your siblings. Lemon sounds like a lovely scent. I love your random thought. What a sweet gift that countdown was. Your photos with your grandchildren are so precious. You have been blessed. Yes, of course you keep it! Have a wonderful day Joyce.

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  10. I love that you mention your Wisconsin friends sharing the best way to cook a good brat. They are right of course. Hee Hee! ;-)
    I loved how you answered #3!!
    I love the random, thank you for sharing all the photos.
    xo

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  11. Enjoyed your answers...I love the idea of a grandchild countdown, maybe I'll do that if I ever hear I'm getting another grandchild.

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  12. 9??? How can that be? She was just pregnant last year! :D That is such a sweet calendar and will be a wonderful family heirloom.

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  13. That countdown calendar is precious and should be passed along when the time comes!! A family heirloom, indeed! Thanks for another fun Hodgepodge, Joyce!

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  14. I love the grandparents to be countdown calendar.

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  15. Awww love it! You are such a young grandmother- enjoy it all :)

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  16. All those baby pictures...so sweet! The countdown blocks were such a thoughtful gift. Ditto on the floral scents. I like vanilla scents or citrus too.

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  17. Hi Joyce, I enjoyed reading your post today. That calendar is such a great idea. I love all your grandma pictures! I like a lemon fragrance. You made me think of a lemon scent and know I want to make some. Have a great week!

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  18. I have only one grandson, but now he is 15 and if you cut him in the middle I would have two, because he is 2,3 m long ! I am a rather tall girl, but standing besides him I look like a dwarf. When he was a baby I saw him always on Sky and then on Whatsapp. I made many photos of him on the screen. I didn't see him so often when he was a baby. Son and DIL had him late and became real helicopter parents ! It was terrible. Nobody was allowed to touch him. I wondered what he would become getting older. But to my surprise he is a very nice guy, really it's a miracle with this education. Now of course he flies alone and the helicopter was sent to hell !

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  19. I love the grandparents countdown blocks! So cute!

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