And Away We Go

If you're here for the Wednesday Hodgepodge today scroll back one post. 

Hello friends and strangers too, visiting from the April A-Z Blog Challenge. Thanks for stopping by! If you're not familiar with the A-Z go here to get details. It's not too late to join the fun, signups close April 4th and you'll find that form here. 

My theme this year is The Things We Keep: An A-Z of Ordinary Objects. My loose plan is to look around my house at the things I hold on to and tell a story as to why. Let's get started-

 Day 1-A is for Aprons

I have a drawerful. Maybe two, but who's counting? I love a pretty apron and I like to cook so win-win. Remembering to actually put the apron on before I'm halfway through a bake is sometimes a problem, but I get there eventually. 

There's something about cooking while wearing an apron that makes me think of my mama, and also my girls. My girls love to cook and have their own collection of aprons, most of which they were gifted by me.  My mama, who I feel very tender about these days, was a far neater and much better cook than I am and she always wore an apron when baking. 

Here we are in our aprons making quiche for my daughter1's baby shower nine years ago. 

Nine years? Is that right? Can that be right? Evidently it can. 

There's something that feels homey and a little bit old-fashioned about wearing an apron and that's probably why I can't part with any of mine. I have a couple of favorites-

I bought this one in the Harrod's shop in Heathrow on a trip to France with girl friends. How could I possibly part with that? 

I have some Christmas aprons I wear during cookie baking season.

This one is probably my most worn because it's pretty, a dark color (iykyk), and the fit is really comfortable. 

This was a gift from Daugther2 one year because 'stay tuned for letter H'. 

Here are my girls wearing aprons, home on college break helping with Thanksgiving dinner-

Maybe when I look at my aprons this is really what I see. People I love, the memory and the moment of time spent in the kitchen cooking, talking, being together. The apron pings the memory. 

A is For Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge and Day 1 in the April A-Z Blog Challenge. Some Wednesdays I'll probably use the random thought space here to post my A-Z, but not today. My letter A post started running a little long (shocking I know!) so I've decided to give it a place of it''s own. You'll find Letter A posted just after today's Hodgepodge. 

And if you're visiting from the A-Z welcome. The Hodgepodge happens here every Wednesday and you're invited to play along. Hodgepodge links only please on this post. 

And if you're here every week I'm glad you're back. Now here we go-

1. March is rolling on out of here. Sum up your March in ten words or less. 

March was a whirlwind of activities, events, and family fun. Whew! 

I know that's eleven words, but adding that Whew! at the end felt essential. 

2. Are you afraid of heights? When was the last time you found yourself dealing with a height, and did it make you nervous?

Heights don't bother me so much as what is often required to reach the height. I love a big, wide, expansive view from up above, but greatly dislike a sky tram, gondola, cars hanging from a string high above the earth, which is so often how you get from low to high. 

I've ridden many of these contraptions, and have to give myself a talking to the entire time we're moving. Or swaying! which is really not my favorite. 

Yes I rode a gondola above the clouds near Mt. Blanc. A crowded one too, where I wondered about the weight limit the entire ride up. It was a long, long, long way. 

I haven't dealt with any scary heights recently. I can handle tall buildings with the top floor reached by elevator. We spend a lot of time in the mountains and I love those sorts of heights/views. Driving high coastal cliff roads with no guard rail is unnerving, but also a little bit thrilling. 

Big Sur 

No post of mine regarding heights would be complete without another mention of the gondola that dangled by a thread I rode on to get up to the tea plantations in Taiwan. (I wrote a post about it here-Quake, Rattle, and Roll) The wind was whistling through the open windows and the car swayed in a way that was slightly terrifying. See those specks in the sky? 

That's me. The gondola made a stop halfway up and not gonna lie, the height and angle on these temple steps was a little nerve wracking too. 

3. What's a word you struggle to spell on a regular basis, and sometimes need to double check before writing it down? Use the word in a sentence that tells us something about your April calendar. 

necessary

Rain will be necessary here this month, if we want to get out of the current drought conditions we're experiencing. 

4. Love 'em or hate 'em, with Easter comes the sweet treat known as Peeps. So... do you love 'em or hate 'em? Speaking of peeps, what's your favorite way to have chicken? 

I like Peeps okay, but wouldn't say I love them. They're a fun, festive treat this time of year, but I don't seek them out. I'm sure I put a package in my girl's baskets when they were young. because more than the taste I love the look of them.  

When my daughter2 was first married and living in Pennsylvania we went to a peep and wine pairing at one of their local vineyards and that was kind of fun. 

My favorite way to have chicken? As an ingredient in a Thai green curry.  I prefer chicken baked and with a lot of flavor added, teryiaki, BBQ sauce, that sort of thing. I don't eat a lot of fried food anymore. 

5. This week's Hodgepodge lands on the first day of April, which happens to be National Poetry Month. Do you like poetry?  Share a favorite line or two from one of your favorite poems. What makes this one a favorite? 

I started thinking about copyright infringement after posting this question and here's what I found on line-

'You can safely use short excerpts from poems published before 1925, as they are in the public domain. Generally, using 1-2 lines (especially if they are not the heart of the poem) is often considered fair use, though not guaranteed, while quoting 3+ lines or more of a recent work usually requires permission.'

I do like poetry, and I wish I'd memorized more when I was young and my brain wasn't as crowded as it is today. I have several favorites, but one I love is The Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe (c. 1849). The main reason I love this poem is because my dad knew it by heart and would randomly recite it from time to time. His grandgirls absolutely loved that, and this poem always makes me think of him. 

"It was many and many a year ago, 

In a kingdom by the sea, 

That a maiden there lived whom you may know

By the name of Annabel Lee;

And this maiden she lived with no other thought, 

Than to love and be loved by me..." 

by Edgar Allan Poe

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

It's Day 1 in the April A-Z blog challenge, and if you don't know what I'm talking about go to this post (The ABC's of April) to get the 411. Essentially you blog one letter of the alphabet every day but Sundays in the month of April. My theme this year is The Things We Keep: An A-Z Of Ordinary Objects. You'll find Day1 in the challenge in the post just past this one. I hope you'll follow along! 

Also, I cannot let this week pass without wishing you the peace and blessings of Easter. 

May you know the hope and joy that is ours because of the great gift of God's only Son, who died in our place and rose from the grave. Happy Easter! 

Monday March Madness

It's the end of March and I'm going on record to say the first quarter of this year has positively flown.  I feel like that's something old people say, except all the young people I know are saying it too. 

Is it because the world's in chaos? Is it because we're regularly checking the very full calendars we now hold in our hands, and as a result our lives are marked by 'what's next'? Is there some scientific explanation for it? Whatever the reason I want to remember each day is a gift and to keep a grateful heart. 

Let's chat about our weekends with Holly (Pink Lady Blog) and Sarah (Sunshine and Books) who host the Hello Monday hop.  

We were at home this weekend which was nice. I've either had a houseful or been in the car going hither and yon the last four weekends, and then I was at my daughter's all last week which also meant a road trip, so I'm glad to be livin' local for a few days. 

I drove home from Tennessee Friday morning, arriving back at the lake around 1. Hubs and I had a light lunch, I did three loads of laundry, caught up on some paperwork, then got ready for some Friday night fun. 

A really great night out with friends. Those aren't them -ha! We went to a local venue that's part farm-part Airbnb-part cooking class locale. 

We signed up with friends for this month's pizza class. There were twelve of us in total, and the set up is really nice. We started with a simple but super delicious appetizer-baked brie made in ramekins. We put cubed brie, raspberries, blackberries, chopped pistachios, a little bit of a spicy seasoning, and a drizzle of honey and balsamic glaze in ramekins, then baked. 

This picture is pre-bake, but once they came out of the oven the cheese had melted into the berries and the combination was so good! They were served with grilled crostini and I'll definitely be making this at home. I've done baked brie before but I liked the individual servings and the way the melted cheese was contained in a bowl, so more like a dip. 

I wore my pizza sauce colored shirt because I know myself, but they did provide aprons so all's good. The host had made the pizza dough ahead of time so it could proof, but she shared the recipe and the particular flour and yeast she likes to use. We worked the dough and added our toppings, and then they were baked in a pizza oven on the deck that overlooks the farm. 

note to self-purchase a pizza oven 

This isn't my pizza, but I forgot to take a picture of mine before we ate it. Everyone shared their pizzas so we got to taste a variety. We've done pizzas on the Green Egg at home, but we struggle with getting the cook just right. The class used two different ovens but she recommended the Solo brand and I currently have one sitting in my cart on Amazon. 

There was a super creamy homemade strawberry ice cream for dessert with a small chocolate brownie and I want to try the ice cream recipe at home too. Melt in your mouth good! 

It was a fun evening with a nice group of people, lots of chatting, eating, and learning a few helpful tips for our future pizza cooking too. Bonus we were home in time to watch our Vols beat Iowa State to move on to the Elite Eight playoffs in college basketball. 

Course the game started after 10 PM so I snoozed through it and hubs watched and told me they won. Worked for me as I was pooped. 

Saturday we had things to do in the morning. Hubs worked on finishing up some painting in the lower garage that he started while I was away. We have a wall of wooden storage drawers we got when we built the house, and we've wanted to paint them ever since. We didn't pick these out, but our builder knew of another home build where they were not going to use them after all, and asked if we wanted them. 

The drawers hold a lot and are really practical for the space, but while we do love our wood here we have never loved the tone of this particular piece. Plus we already had a gray-ish countertop to use and it clashed with the wood. It's a garage so not a huge deal, but we wanted to make the change. I didn't get a before pic, but you can see the color here- 

 

Hubs used chalk paint and he's meticulous when it comes to painting. He won't like me posting this 'not quite done' picture, but the paint looks great-

Yes those are cassette tapes on top of that counter. They're relegated to the garage though. 

The drawers are now black and look so much better.  They need a clear top coat which will happen this week, and the drawer pulls need to be reattached, but otherwise a project completed. 

While he was busy with that I ran to the library to return a book, the post office to mail a package, and the market to pick up a few things to get us through the weekend and the beginning of the new week. I came home and made an appetizer to take to a neighborhood party that evening. It was tricky and I forgot to snap a photo. 

Basically it was a Caprese tulip garden...here's a link to the picture I'd seen and was inspired by. You x the top of a cherry tomato then stuff the mozzarella pearl inside, pop it on a toothpick, add basil for the leaves and then stick the whole thing in a cucumber slice. It looks like a tulip and when you make thirty of them you have yourself an edible garden. I added a drizzle of olive oil to mine at the end. A couple of tulips tipped over in the transport, but they were all eaten so calling it a win. 

My daughter1 dropped by with her little ones before we left for the party, and we visited with them for a bit before heading up to our clubhouse. It was sunny and I snapped a picture of this 'flock' of turtles on our neigbhor's jet ski dock. This is the local turtle hangout-

Also, a grouping of turtles is called a bale. Who knew? 

Our neighborhood had a casino night in the clubhouse and everyone brought appetizers to share. It's not Vegas so no real gambling, just a fun night with friends. There was roulette, black jack, and bingo and they had the room decorated for the occasion too. 

Sunday morning we went to church and had plans to go to lunch afterwards with my daughter and her kiddos. Her hubs was on call this weekend so was busy doing surgery and didn't make it to church. Anyway, we got in our car after the service to drive to the restaurant and the tire light came on. Yes! Again! Ugh! And yes, it was just last Sunday we had a flat on the way to church. 

Thankfully this one wasn't flat, but it was low so we pulled in to a gas station and hubs discovered a nail in the tire. Not the new tire but still, super annoying. We decided we better go straight home just in case it deflates before we can get a plug put in it tomorrow, so that's what we did. 

We had lunch at home, and watched the Vols sadly get clobbered by Michigan. I worked on my blog a little, but probably not enough. The A-Z challenge starts this week and looks like it will be a blog as you go proposition. Time to sit and blog or just time to think about what to blog has been in short supply this month, so while I have a theme I haven't actually written any of the posts ahead of time. I think most people do, but sometimes I do better with a little pressure. 

That's what I'm telling myself anyway. 

Sunday evening our church had a special night of worship to begin this Holy Week and we were tired, but got ourselves together to go and were so glad we didn't miss this really wonderful service. 

Have a wonderful week everyone! 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 647

Here are questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here on Wednesday (April 1st) to share answers with all your peeps. See you there! 

1. March is rolling on out of here. Sum up your March in ten words or less. 

2. Are you afraid of heights? When was the last time you found yourself dealing with a height, and did it make you nervous?

3. What's a word you struggle to spell on a regular basis, and sometimes need to double check before writing it down? Use the word in a sentence that tells us something about your April calendar. 

4. Love 'em or hate 'em, with Easter comes the sweet treat known as Peeps. So... do you love 'em or hate 'em? Speaking of peeps, what's your favorite way to have chicken? 

5. This week's Hodgepodge lands on the first day of April, which happens to be National Poetry Month. Do you like poetry?  Share a favorite line or two from one of your favorite poems. What makes this one a favorite? 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Not Just Friday Favorites

I've been out of town all week spending time with my daughter2 and her very busy, very chatty littles. They wake up and it's game on. My son-in-law was working out of town all week and having some extra hands in the house is a blessing. 

I'm linking today's post with Erika and Andrea for their Friday Favorites hop. 

I was supposed to drive over to TN on Monday morning, but that flat tire we had on Sunday ended up with me needing a brand new tire. My tires are only a year old, so super aggravating, and getting said tire took the whole ding dong day. I know I sound whiny but I truly am so thankful the flat happened Sunday and not on my drive over the mountains. 

They finally had the car ready at 4 PM so I got a very late start. It's a little over three hours drive time, but since the sun doesn't set until 8 PM right now I knew I could make it before dark. I guess I'm old. I don't like driving curvy mountain roads in the dark. 

I travel a back way to my daughter's house which is great because I bypass Atlanta traffic completely, plus it's beautiful, but it is very curvy and you have to really pay attention. As my hubs says whenever we make this drive together, 'you have to drive every inch of the miles'.  fyi-hubs was at home with the little brown dog so it was just us girls which is what we had planned. 

You never outgrow the need for mother-daughter time. 

I made it to TN just in time to jump on a Zoom call with my siblings. Literally I pulled in at 7:35 and the call was set up for 7:45 so it was a little crazy but it worked. Arriving right at bedtime is never ideal, but it couldn't be helped. 

That would be the kids bedtime, not mine just in case that wasn't clear-ha! 

Once my call ended D2 and I settled in to start our Great British Bak Off binge watch. We only watch one episode a night because actually our bedtime is not that much later than the kids. We're just now watching the most recent season which I think aired in the fall. 

The next season (not sure when it comes out) is going to have a new judge. Prue Leith is leaving and Nigella Lawson will take her place. We love listening to Nigella talk and I told my daughter we need a bingo card to mark her use of words like pungent, luscious, and unctuous. We like Prue, but we're really excited for Nigella. 

This was what we did every evening I was in town, once the kids were in bed. We settled in to watch the baking challenge together. We love it and it definitely makes us want to bake. 

Tuesday morning the little guy had preschool, so once we dropped him off we went to a nearby coffee shop that is new to me. They make their own pastries and they are decadent. We shared a cheese danish and a sausage and egg bagel, and Sugar thoroughly enjoyed every last drop of her cold hot chocolate. 

After breakfast we went out to the Carter's outlet to look for an Easter dress for Sugar, but they didn't have one we loved. I did buy her a cute set of overall shorts and a tee to go underneath, so not a wasted trip. 

Have granddaughters so you can buy all the cute clothes. 

We came home and while Sugar napped we watched more baking. We're trying to squeeze the whole season, or most of it anyway, into four days and we did a good job of it too. We picked up little man from school, played outside, walked the dog, and then had a nice dinner at home. 

Wednesday my daughter had arranged for a babysitter. We've not done this before but she wanted us to have lunch out and do a little bit of shopping sans kids. It was such a nice day. We love the babies, but shopping with your girl without having to keep up with little ones is a real treat. 

We went to the absolute loveliest home/gift shop where I could have bought a hundred things but settled for just a couple, and then to our favorite children's boutique in that same shopping center, where I did find a sweet Easter dress and also a coordinating shirt for brother. Can't go wrong with Beaufort Bonnet-

We had lunch at CAVA which is a chain, but I'd never eaten there before. It was so good. We both had bowls with rice and salad greens, grilled chicken, tzatzki, eggplant, and whipped feta. It was filling and neither of us needed dinner that evening.  

After lunch we moved on to several more stores including the J Crew Outlet which is almost as good as the actual store here, but half the price. We got back to the house about 2 and once Sugar was up from her nap we drove out to a nearby farm that also grew tulips this year. 

This is the last week to come pick and quite a few are bloomed out, but still plenty to choose from. 

 

We cut a dozen to bring home and the kids had fun feeding the cows. 

You could buy a small sack of feed so the cows were friendly. 

Thursday was another school day for sweet baby J and another coffee and breakfast out for us girls. From there we went to Wal Mart and picked up some Easter goodies, plus I impulsively bought some seeds and will see what happens. My girls both have raised beds and I got swept up in all their gardening-growing excitement. 

It was a beautiful spring day so after the school pick up we decided to check out the local Farmer's Market. It sits behind a plant nursery so we walked through and browsed their huge selection of plants, garden fountains and accessories too.   

I was sitting on the couch watching my daughter finish up the dinner prep Thursday evening, when I felt a wave of tenderness and nostalgia wash over me. Not that long ago (okay, more than a decade) she was my college student, home on spring break. And now here she is married, running a home, helping her two little ones grow and thrive, greeting her husband after work with a kiss and a 'how was your trip'. 

In this season we create our own version of 'spring break'.  Now I’m the one who drives to her, and we fill our days with playtime, little outings, doling out snacks (so many snacks!), books, baths, and all the small and steady things that make children feel safe and loved. 

It's not a sunny beach in Florida with twenty of your closest friends, but it's still a pretty wonderful spring break. 

Monthly Musings -March

Hello friends. It's the last Thursday of the month if you can believe it, which means it's time for our Monthly Musings hosted by Patty (Good Better Best blog). This month we're talking all things spring, which overlaps a bit with this week's Hodgepodge questions, but I'm playing along anyway. 

I'm with my daughter2 this week and I had her answer the questions too. Who remembers when my girls used to blog? It was a fun season and I loved reading their thoughts on so many things. They're busy with little ones and more these days and of course that's fun too, but I miss reading their words. 

I wrote my answers first, then asked my daughter the questions...here's our answers-

1. Does it feel like spring where you are? 

Me: yes and I'm loving the warmer temps, all the blooming things, grass turning green, and the sun setting at 8 PM. 

D2-some days, mostly yes, with some cool temperatures and some warmer which I guess is spring

2. What spring holidays do you celebrate?

Me-I guess we're going by what the calendar calls spring and not what feels like spring to me. June 21st is when the calendar turns, but in my mind Memorial Day is the first day of summer.  

If we're going by the calendar then my springtime celebrations will be Easter, Mother's Day, Memorial Day, Daughter1's birthday, and sweet baby J's birthday (grandson #3). Plus, using this timeline our anniversary technically lands in the spring, but just barely. I've always said we had a 'summer wedding' as the day was a scorcher, and schools weren't in session, plus June brides are summer brides, right? 

D2-based on when spring actually ends I celebrate Easter, Mother's Day, Father's day and my son's birthday...oh and Memorial Day which I think of as the start of summer. 

3. Any spring trips planned?

Me-No spring travel planned, but I'm hoping we can manage an overnight somewhere to mark our anniversary. I'm working on it. 

D2-a trip to the beach 

4. Favorite foods to eat and share for spring holidays? 

Me-  pineapple stuffing is always on the Easter menu here, plus I love deviled eggs and they're another dish on the menu. I like to make Nigella's pea, mint, and avocado salad in the spring because it's so green and fresh. I go easy on the mint though as I think a little goes a long way. Nigella loves her some mint. I also like to make my sister's carrot soup recipe in the spring. 

D2-deviled eggs 100%, M & M cookies made with pastel M & M's, pineapple stuffing which I pretty much only make at Easter 

5. Are there any spring festivals in your area?

Me-Not really, at least not right in tiny town. The weekly live music in the heart of downtown starts back up in April and that's a lot of fun. They close the streets and there's a band,  food, and friends gathered. 

D2-I discovered we have a pickle festival on May 17th and we'll be checking that out for sure. There's a tulip festival happening now, and a strawberry festival in May we like to go to every year. 

6. Best spring allergy relief tip?

Me-I take allergy meds this time of year and I won't spend a lot of time outdoors when pollen is peak. 

D2-I don't have horrible spring allergies. My husband says I sneeze more than the average person year round so... flonase for the sneezing and eat local honey

7. What makes you think, 'ok, now it's finally spring'?

Me-the daffodils popping up as you come down the drive

D2-no more snowflakes on the weather app 

8. Spring rain...love or dislike?

Me-I won't say I love it, but regular spring rain helps bring the pollen down and I do love that. We need some rain right now as we're experiencing drought conditions in our area. 

D2-I dislike it. I don't like to be stuck inside. 

9. Special spring holiday dessert or treat? 

Me-I don't have any special spring treats, but I do like to find something delicious to make for Easter. I'm not always in charge of dessert but I like something light, citrus-y or made with berries for spring. Strawberry shortcake is a favorite of mine and strawberry season in my state is April-June so I'll for sure make a shortcake or two every spring. 

D2-I like to bake and I like to find a new recipe every season. When I hear this I think what will I make for Easter dessert. This year I found a recipe for carrot cake whoopie pies and think I might try that. 

10. Favorite spring cocktail or mocktail? 

Me- cheating a little with my answer, but when I think spring beverage I think sweet tea. I don't make iced tea in the winter but come spring it's a staple here. I'll have a pitcher in the frig from now until November. Homemade with plenty of lemon. 

D2-I'm going to say a French 75...I think the lemon twist makes it look and feel springy. 

Spring Fever In The Hodgepodge

Welcome to a springtime 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. It's officially spring in the northern hemisphere. Does it feel like spring in your part of the world? If you're in the southern hemisphere it's officially autumn where you live. Does the weather say autumn? Which do you prefer-spring or autumn? Why? 

It definitely feels like spring where I live. I will do my best not to go on and on (and on and on) about the pollen but it's here and it's a sure sign of spring. Temps are in the 70's for the most part, some days we've been up in the 80's, and things are blooming. 

Autumn is my favorite season of the year, but I'm always happy to see spring springing too. 

2. What's your favorite thing about spring? 

Easter. 

 So much sweetness in a single photograph. 

3. Spring into action, spring in your step, spring to life, spring to one's feet...which spring idiom currently applies to your life in some way? Explain.  

All of the above. I'm hanging with these two little cuties this week and they definitely put a spring in my step. There's also a lot of springing into action and springing to your feet with the three and under set. They're quick! 

4. Which spring food from this list is your favorite? What's a dish you like that includes your favorite spring ingredient? 

asparagus, strawberries, salad greens like mesclun, artichokes, spinach, eggs, peas, spring onions

There isn't anything on this list I don't love so it's tough to pick a favorite. I'd probably say eggs because that's the one I'd miss the most if it were taken away. Deviled eggs are a favorite this time of year especially. 

5. What's one task on your spring cleaning list? Do you actually have a list? 

I don't have a written list, although I might make one just so I can have the satisfaction of crossing off completed chores. One task on the list? Baseboards, wipe down all the kitchen cabinets, and wash windows which we might farm out to a professional. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Several people have asked me how we played the Bingo game on my mother-in-law's birthday. My sister-in-law did all the work, but it looked like this-

Every square had some saying, event, or phrase relating to my m-i-l. When the square was called you marked it off just like you do with a regular bingo board (We used dot markers). Then everyone told a story or shared a memory relating to whatever the square said. 

The cards were made using myfreebingocards.com. and my sister-in-law printed them out for us on paper.  Everyone's card was arranged differently but had some of the same topics, so there was a winner. We didn't have prizes, just lots of fun and laughs.