Gray Matters

Hello friends. I'm back home today after spending five days at my brother's house in NJ helping with my mama. My sister and brother-in-law (my mom lives with them) had the opportunity to take a big wonderful trip, some of it work related for my brother-in-law, and I hope they enjoyed every minute. We had my mom spend that time they were away at my brother's house.  

Caregiving is not easy and my sister and her family do so much on the daily for my mom. I'm thankful my siblings and I are a team as we try to make the best decisions we can for her. The 9th decade of life comes with some hard things and we want to treat her with the same sort of tlc she has given to us all our lives. 

While at my brother's I decided to try and meet Kym's everyday image photo prompt challenge. I spent a lot of time in the house sitting and commenting on the Olympics with my mom, coloring, reading, and thankfully getting out for a walk every day too. 

It was gray. Every single day. Gloomy gray. Not raining, but not a full minute of sunshine either. As a result most of these pics are gray too. Here are the most recent prompts, some of which required me to get a little bit creative-

middle-at work-shadow-weathered-pink-current project (quarterly)-sweet 

middle-my brother lives on a river and there are a lot of ducks and geese wandering the neighborhood. Some are swimming, some are sitting on the frozen water, and some are moseying down the middle of the street like they own the place.

at work-tree trimmers were at work removing branches from power lines in the area. This guy gave me a peace sign when I went by, but I missed catching it with my camera. Story of my life. 

shadow-honestly this was the hardest of all the prompts because the sun was out for approximately 3.4 seconds while I was in town. It was gray gray gray all day every day, so you have to look hard to see my shadow in this one. 

weathered-a tough one. How about the great outdoors? It's looking a little rough after weeks of snow on the ground. 

pink-my sister-in-law has quite the green thumb and the most robust Christmas cactus I think I've ever seen. It's just about finished blooming, but still has a touch of pink showing. 

Note to file: get a Christmas cactus

current project-my mom enjoys coloring so we did a lot of that while watching a lot of Olympic coverage. Pretty sure I could give commentary now on curling, women's slopestyle snowboarding, and the Nordic combined. 

sweet-my brother and sister-in-law are big on healthy eating and exercise so while sweets are not banned, they're not available 24/7 like some places I know. ahem. This is a good thing, right? Every afternoon about 3 PM my brother made my mom and I a cup of tea and there was always a little cookie to go with. 

My mama loves sweets so we had small desserts a couple of nights. A brownie bite and a spoonful of ice cream were the perfect combination. 

I've spent a lot of time thinking this week about how lucky we are to have in-laws in our family who love our mom and are willing to do whatever needs doing to make her feel safe and comfortable. What a gift. 

A Gem Of A 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. Before running off be sure to leave a comment for the blogger before you. Here we go-

1. The Hodgepodge lands on Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of Lent. Do you mark this season in some way? Will you be giving something up or adding something to your life in this Lenten season? 

I didn't grow up in a denomination that celebrates Lent specifically, but Easter and the days leading up to that Sunday were definitely marked. I sometimes read a devotional written specifically for the lenten season, and this year am following the reading plan put out by She Reads Truth. It's focused on the Psalms and is called Bless The Lord. I like SRT and have done some of their other reading plans in years prior. 

You can order an actual book, or follow along online. 

2. Pancakes...are you a fan? Syrup or no syrup? Plain, blueberries, chocolate chips, bananas, or some other add in? Are pancakes on your menu this week? 

I like pancakes okay, but in terms of breakfast carbs I'd much rather have french toast or waffles. Pancakes are too heavy for me. Hubs loves pancakes and if we're out to breakfast he often orders them,  and then I can have a bite. That's all I need. Blueberry are my favorite, but they're not on this week's menu. I want a little bit of syrup and a side of bacon so there's something salty to cut the sweet. 

Pancakes with a view-

3. Tell us about a time recently when you felt 'spread too thin'. 

In this season of life it's rare I feel spread too thin. We're living the retired life and there's a lot less multi-tasking, less demands on our time unless we say so, less going in three directions at once. It's nice. 

4. What's your favorite jewel or gemstone? In terms of your wardrobe would we find more gem tones, pastels, black and white, or primary colors? 

I love the gemtones and feel like they suit my coloring. You'd find some in my wardrobe for sure, more than any of the other options listed. My favorite jewel or gemstone is a sapphire, with pearls a close second. Pearls are actually considered organic gemstones. 

5. What responsibility do you think is hardest about being in charge? 

Knowing you can't please everyone when making tough decisions. If you're a person who dislikes conflict as much as I do, then you know the struggle is real. The sooner you learn that someone is always going to be unhappy no matter what you say or do, the quicker you'll find  peace in whatever job or role you're managing. Do the right thing and sleep easy when your head hits the pillow. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

My favorite way to have pancakes is a pancake breakfast lakeside with all my favorite little people there-

Happy Wednesday everyone! 

I Cannot Tell A Lie...It's Monday

Good morning friends, and happy birthday George and Abe. 

Speaking of Abe, hubs and I watched a movie last week we hadn't seen before, even though it was released in 2011- The Conspirator with James McAvoy, Kevin Kline, Robin Wright, and more. The plot follows the trial of Mary Surrat, the first woman tried in connection with the Lincoln assassination. It was good and I wasn't all that familiar with her story. 

And as long as we're talking about Abe...how do you feel about the penny? The last were minted in November of 2025, and now the penny is no more. I mean except for the pennies we have stashed in pockets, purses, and jars, but I guess nothing is one cent going forward? Or two, three, or four cents either? Or twelve, thirteen, or fourteen and so on and so on. Hmmm. Is everything going to be rounded up or rounded down? I guess we're about to find out. 

Now let's put the train back on the track and discuss the weekend. Hubs and I had plans to celebrate with a nice dinner Friday night since I would be leaving town Saturday morning. We wanted to make a lobster risotto because that sounded fancy, and it's also something we've never made before, but we missed the lobster truck so went with plan B, which was also good. Hubs grilled steaks and he's mastered that so no complaints. 

My mom lives with my younger sister, but my sister had an opportunity to take a big trip so we shifted mom to my brother's house in NJ for the two week holiday. My older sister and I each took a week to be there too so everyone could come and go as needed. We don't leave my mom alone at all so having extra hands in the house helps.

Hubs drove me to the airport and I arrived with plenty of time to spare. It wasn't busy so I sailed through security, grabbed my Dunkin' latte, and settled in with my book until it was time to board. 

The flight was smooth and my brother picked me up on the Philly end and so all in all easy peasy. 

I've spent a lot of my life living in this part of the country, but I'm a Carolina girl now and I forgot about all the snow on the ground. 

When my older sister was here last week the temps were frigid, but I've timed my week better and I think it might hit the 50s so whoohoo! I love seeing freshly fallen snow, but month old dirty snow is not my favorite. 

Celebrating with my first Valentine ❤️

We spent the afternoon watching the Olympics and we did some coloring too. My brother grilled salmon for dinner, and my sister-in-law served a yummy Valentine's Day dessert, and all in all it was a nice low key day. I don't have a chance to hang out with my brother and sister-in-law all that often so it was fun to be in their house and talk about all kinds of things. 

Hubs stayed home with the little brown dog, and he had a good day too. A Clemson baseball game with our son-in-law and the two oldest grandsons, and then dinner at their house which was really nice. 

Sunday morning we had coffee beside the fire in their cozy kitchen nook and did some laundry for mom. My brother and sister-in-law went out for a run and I hung with mom, then they came home and I took a good walk in the crisp fresh air which felt great. 

It wasn't windy and I was bundled up. There's a lot of sitting in our week so trying to move when we can. 

My brother still coaches and had a track meet that afternoon so it was just us girls at home. I blogged, started my new book, chatted with mom who colored some more, became knowledgeable about curling, and watched still more Olympics. The next few days will be more of the same and I'm not mad about it. Hope your weekend was a sweet one too. 

Linking with Hollyand Sarah today for their Hello Monday weekend recap blog hop. 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 641

Hello Friends. Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here on Wednesday (2/18) to share your answers. See you there! 

1. The Hodgepodge lands on Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of Lent. Do you mark this season in some way? Will you be giving something up or adding something to your life in this Lenten season? 

2. Pancakes...are you a fan? Syrup or no syrup? Plain, blueberries, chocolate chips, bananas, or some other add in? Are pancakes on your menu this week? 

3. Tell us about a time recently when you felt 'spread too thin'. 

4. What's your favorite jewel or gemstone? In terms of your wardrobe would we find more gem tones, pastels, black and white, or primary colors? 

5. What responsibility do you think is hardest about being in charge? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Jammin'

As in jammin' a lot into a single post because I'm behind here. If you neglect your blog for a few weeks  days life just rolls right on by without comment. Still I'm going to go back and comment. We've had a busy couple of weeks here and I want to catch up. 

Am I always saying that, because it feels like it? 

Backing up to last Friday when we celebrated Mardi Gras with some neighbors. So fun! The hostess grew up in New Orleans and funnily enough the couple who not that long ago moved in next door to them also have roots there. 

The couple hosting made a wonderful New Orleans style meal of gumbo (delicious!), red beans and rice, and shrimp creole. Guests brought a spicy crab dip, a spicy sausage dip, and I made Emeril's creole relish tray with white cheddar crackers which I will definitely be making again. So good! 

Our hosts had a king cake for dessert because I think that's the Mardi Gras law. We ate all but two pieces and guess where the baby was? Not in one of the twelve pieces we cut. Is that considered unlucky? 

Another guest brought some bourbon balls topped with gold glitter and the next door neighbor from NOLA brought homemade pralines for everyone to take home. Si délicieux! We all had a cup of brandy milk punch too, which I'd never tried before, and it was so yummy. 

Hubs and I got up early Saturday morning to make the drive to daughter2's house in Tennessee for Sugar's birthday celebration. She's officially 2 and completely adorable. There was a sweet Minnie Mouse theme and everyone had 'ears' to wear. 

My son-in-law grilled a brisket, and his parents were in town for the weekend too. Friends came by with their little ones and the kids played while the adults chatted. There were of course cupcakes for the birthday girl made by her momma, baker extraordinaire. She even made the edible bows for the ears, which were mini Oreos.

It was low key and perfect for this age. Three dogs were also in attendance and they mostly behaved. 

It was a chilly weekend and we spent most of it indoors watching Olympics with a side of If You Give A Mouse A Cookie. Sunday the grandparents were left in charge while the parents had a little day date. We let the kids nap maybe a little too long, but everyone was partied out. The kids too lol. 

We watched the Superbowl Sunday night, but were not invested in the teams and overall the game wasn't very exciting. I finished my book club book while listening to the game and my book was much more interesting. 

We drove home Monday morning and were back at the lake by lunchtime. I unpacked, did laundry, then washed my hair to get ready for our monthly wine club dinner happening that evening. 

Never a dull moment. 

Tuesday hubs had his guitar lesson, I made some phone calls and did some paperwork, took a walk, then had book club that afternoon. We read The God Of The Woods and it received mostly positive reviews. I was home for an hour, then back to the clubhouse to play Mah Jong. 

Wednesday morning I was guess where? You guessed it. Back to the clubhouse to help with a Mah Jong lesson. Hubs and I had lunch then we headed to the store. I don't know if you've seen the ads for having a song personalized, but hubs had one written for me and he played it when we got in the car. It's a beautiful song and the lyrics are so so sweet. A truly thoughtful special gift I will treasure. 

After the shopping and errands were done I came home and made sugar cookie dough for Thursday. My granddaughter was coming over for a little while Thursday morning to spend some time with us while her momma ran an errand and I thought it would be fun to make some heart shaped cookies. 

With lots of sprinkles. 

Pink of course. 

After Little Miss and her momma went home hubs and I headed to a friend's house for a welcome home celebration. Our friend has been in the hospital for months following an accident and was finally able to come home on Thursday. Friends and neighbors lined the street, made signs, waved balloons and pompoms, and cheered as they pulled in. It was fabulous. 

There are so many good people in the world loving their neighbors well. Don't let the internet, the news, or the angry loud voices on social media tell you otherwise. 

Everyone left once they were in the driveway as it was a long day and I'm sure overwhelming on many levels. 

We got home and my daughter called and said the boys wanted to come by so we could see the Mancub's school project, and I'm gonna say we are here for it. Living a few miles apart is everything I hoped it would be. 

As soon as they left I showered and changed for a fun author event with a few women from my book club. It was billed as a conversation with two local writers, Shelley Burchfield and Carolyn Newton. Your ticket included light refreshments and a signed copy of one of their books. Both of these women were so engaging and they complemented one another well. 

I hadn't read anything by Carolyn so opted for her novel called Songs Of The Dead Road. It's described as a work of historical fiction about Jan Balik, a Polish composer who uses music to cope with the trauma of WWII, including the loss of family and his time in a Soviet orphanage and labor camp. 

And that brings us to Friday. Or Valentine's Day as we're calling it here. I'm headed out of town on Saturday leaving hubs here to man the fort, so we decided to celebrate a day early. 

By celebrate I mean cooking a nice dinner at home together which we haven't done in a while. 

I jammed a lot in here, but I think you know jammed posts are kinda my jam. Wishing you a weekend filled with the people and things you love. 

Linking today with Friday Favorites hosted by Erika and Andrea

Love Is In The Hodgepodge Air

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 some comment love for the blogger before you. Here we go-

1. What's something recent that had you 'tickled pink'? 

2. A bed of roses, everything's coming up roses, every rose has it's thorn, stop and smell the roses, rose-colored glasses, a rose among thorns...which rosy expression might currently be applied to your life in some way? 

It's a thorny world and I try to always find that rose. A husband who makes me laugh, the sunrise, grown girls who make my heart sing, time, memory, toddler giggles and observations, a bright blue sky...I honestly don't have to look all that hard. 

3. What makes you feel loved and appreciated? 

Small kindnesses, thoughtful gestures, words with actions that follow suit. 

4. A box of chocolates or a bouquet of fresh flowers-what's your pleasure? Any special plans for Valentine's Day? 

Fresh flowers for sure. We typically cook something together at home on Valentine's Day, often a new recipe that might feel a little bit fancy. I'm going to be traveling on the actual day so we'll celebrate a day early. Hubs will be home with his other Valentine-

5. Share a favorite quote, scripture, or song lyric relating to love. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

My hubs knows I love flowers (anytime), but since I won't be home to enjoy them next week he sent me this really beautiful single rose. 

It's real. 

It's hard to appreciate in a photograph, but it's a real red rose that's been dipped in some sort of resin, then the stem and leaf edges are dipped in 24K gold. It's amazing. 

Hope this week is filled with all the things and people you love ❤️

Honey, Honey...

 ...aww Sugar Sugar...

Who remembers that song? It was The Archies, and I know I'm dating myself but I don't care, because someone precious has a birthday today, and when I think of our youngest grandgirl 'Sugar' I almost always start singing this song.  Just the first line though-ha! I write letters to my grands on their birthdays every year and today is the littlest ones big day. 

Dear Sugar, 

Today you are two. 

You have the biggest smile and the happiest heart. You light up every room you sashay into, and like to make sure you never miss a moment. You want to be right in the middle of whatever is happening, and the world feels more joyful with you in it.

You love people, your morning yogurt, your stuffies, watching How The Grinch Stole Christmas all year round, and climbing on, under, and over anything and everything. You're curious about the world around you, love your books and all dogs, but especially your own, and you know there's adventure to be had everywhere you look.

I love how much you love your big brother, how you watch him and learn from him, and how proud you seem just to be near him.

I love when we FaceTime and you insist on holding the phone yourself, like you’re in charge of the whole conversation. You are, by the way. Seeing your smile on that little screen is one of the best parts of my day.

Most of all, I love you—your laughter, your energy, your sweetness, and your big, beautiful spirit. You are so loved, more than you can possibly understand right now. But one day, when you read this, I hope you feel it wrapped around you still. 

Watching you grow is one of my greatest joys, and I’m so grateful to be your Nana. I love you deep and wide sweet Sugar. 

xoxo,

Nana

"But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him." 

Jeremiah 17:7