Starry Starry Hodgepodge

Welcome to your weekly mid-week happy, also known as The Wednesday Hodgepodge. Newcomers are always welcome to play along. Answer the questions on your own blog (or Facebook page), then add your link at the end of my post (Hodgepodge answers only please!!).

1. American Idol is back for it's 14th season. Are you watching? Have you ever watched? If you were to audition for the show (or were made to audition), what song would you sing?

I stopped watching AI on a weekly basis a few years ago. I might pop in every once in a while, but for the most part I no longer watch. As to the second part of this question, aiyiyi! I would never voluntarily audition, because singing is not my gift. Not even close. 

And I know this, unlike many who go ahead and audition anyway. If I were made to audition I'd sing something simple and familiar like Amazing Grace. 

2. Mark Twain is quoted as saying, "If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first." 

So when did you last have to 'eat a frog?' Or two? How'd that work out?

I know myself, so anytime I have an unpleasant task glaring at me from the top of my to-do list I know to tick that off straightaway. Otherwise it will probably be procrastinated into tomorrow. Or infinity and beyond. 

Most recently would be some tax 'stuff' that required my attention. Anything tax related feels like eating ten frogs. Ten big frogs, however I took care of submitting all the necessary paperwork, and everything worked out in our favor. It paid to eat the big frog early. 

3. If you were going on safari, what's the number one animal you'd want to see?

That's a tough one. I love the idea of seeing something powerful and majestic like a lion or cheetah, but I think my number one would be a giraffe. Especially a baby giraffe, because there are few things cuter than a baby giraffe. 

Lion cubs are awfully adorable too. 

Here's hubs up close and personal with one about four years ago, on a trip to South Africa. 

I was only a teensy bit jealous.

4. January 21st is National Granola Bar Day. I know. Do you like granola bars? Chewy or crunchy? Your favorite flavor? How about regular granola? Let's exhaust this topic in honor of the 'holiday', okay?

I like them okay. Granola bars can be deceptively high in calories and fat, so I normally save them for snacks while hiking. I like chewy and crunchy both, but my favorite is probably the Nature Maid Oats and Honey-crunchy.  I prefer regular granola to a granola bar, and sprinkle some on my yogurt many mornings. I make my own, and it's delish. 

5. If only__________________________________.

The housekeeping fairy would turn up here...

6. You can add one item to your bedroom. What will it be? Keep it family friendly please.

A closet makeover. My closet is not bad, plenty of room and shelving, but still I'd love to have a custom re-do. 

7. What is one thing you've enjoyed about winter thus far? If it's not winter in your corner of the globe, what season is it, and what is something you've enjoyed about whatever season it happens to be?

Without a doubt, it's the sky. We seem to have more watercolored skies this time of year, sunrise and sunset both. Also, it feels like the moon has been pretty incredible here lately, and maybe that's true every winter, but for some reason I've noticed it more this year.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Speaking of incredible...have you seen this? The largest picture ever taken was released by NASA earlier this month. Captured by the Hubble Telescope, all 1.5 billion pixels. If you haven't seen this it's worth 3 minutes of your time. Be sure and watch all the way to the end. 

"When I consider your  heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor." 

Psalm 8:3-5

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 205

Here are this week's questions to the Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to share answers with the rest of the Internets. Happy Tuesday!

1. American Idol is back for a 14th season. Are you watching? Have you ever watched? If you were to audition for the show (or were made to audition), what song would you sing?

2.  Mark Twain is quoted as saying, "If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first." 

So when did you last have to 'eat a frog'? Or two? How'd that work out? 

3. If you were going on safari, what is the number one animal you'd want to see?

4. January 21st is National Granola Bar Day. I know. Do you like granola bars? Chewy or crunchy? Your favorite flavor? How about regular granola? Let's exhaust this topic in honor of the holiday okay?

5. If only__________________________________________.

6. You can add one item to your bedroom. What will it be? Keep it family friendly please.

7. What is one thing you've enjoyed about winter thus far? If it's not winter in your corner of the globe, what season is it, and what is something you've enjoyed about whatever season it happens to be?

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Five Things Friday. Maybe.

Do I have five things to mention here? It's January (that doesn't count) and it seems like life quiets down in January. It's winter (that doesn't count either) so we tend to have more white space in the calendar which if I'm honest, and I always am, we need. December was full. In a good way but full nonetheless, so a little bit of breathing space is welcome.

Okay, five things.

1. Are you watching the new season of American Idol? I didn't watch last year, or much the year before that, because judging had reached the point of absurd. It's a new combination this year, and I think it just might work. I love that they're not showing a lot of the really terrible auditions, those poor people you feel embarrassed for, who insist they can sing because everyone has told them so, or at least that's how they interpreted it.  Keith Urban is back this year, and I have no complaints about Keith Urban. Plus they've added Harry Connick Jr and he's got wit and style and actual musical knowledge, so it could be good.

2. Wednesday I went on a little outing with friends to a nearby glass studio. We got our craft on. Well some of us did, and some of us tried. The projects were fused glass, so a little bit like mosaic or a stained glass piece. You laid out bits of glass into whatever design you wanted, then cut and glued before handing over to the studio for firing in their kiln.

I am not talented when it comes to stuff like this. I'm good at copying something, but not as good at envisioning something myself. Also, I'm a little bit messy, ahem, and the glue on my fingers took me back to my days as a kindergarten teacher...."Just a little dot boys and girls."

I decided to make coasters, and to keep it simple went with Christmas colors.  A lot of the glass choices were pinks and light blues which don't go with my decor, but Christmas colors work. In keeping with a familiar motto here, my design was a bit of a hodgepodge. In other words, abstract art-ha!

Shhh! Don't tell my hubs, but I had to actually cut glass. With a tool! Rest assured no one was injured in the making of these coasters. We won't get them back for another week, so I'll post an after picture then. Supposedly this all melts down into something beautiful. We shall see.

3. My women's Bible Study group started back up this past week and I'm always glad to get back into the routine there.

So. Remember my word for 2014? Yeah. Guess what Bible Study we're doing?

Walking By Faith. 

I'm not even kidding. It's a study by Jennifer Rothschild, and I'm really looking forward to it. Unafraid. Walking by Faith. Pretty sure those two things go hand in hand.

4.  One of the last things I un-do after Christmas is my Christmas card display. I have a holder in my kitchen for regular cards, and then I hang all the photo cards on our back stairs. I absolutely love walking by there several times a day during the month of December, seeing all the familiar faces from around the globe looking back at me....makes me so sad to take it down in January.

So what do you do with your Christmas cards at the end of the season? I know they can be sent to St. Jude's, or I could put them into an album of some sort, but let's not kid ourselves with that one. I'm still trying to catch up on scrapbooks from the 1990's!

This year I'm stealing an idea from a blogger I follow, Stephanie at The Honey Pot. She's adorable and wise, and you should hop over and visit, because she also has a pretty amazing story. Anyway, she posted this idea on Instagram and I knew I wanted to do the same. Here's the deal...each week in 2014 you select someone's card and pray for that person/family every day of that one week.

We received about 100 cards, so I've added two names per week, but you can do whatever works for you. It's not a challenge or a link up, it's just an idea, but it's one I'm excited about. Our friends and family really are scattered far and wide. Praying for them by name is a way of keeping them close in heart.

5.  In other happy news, Daughter1 is coming home for the weekend. She has the day off work on Monday, which makes it all just a little bit sweeter. No real plans, but I'm sure we'll get into something.

Okay, that's five. I don't know why I spend any time wondering if I can meet a particular number. If someone wanted to do a 500 on Friday link up, I could probably manage that too. Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Linking up with 5 on Friday-

And Friday Fragments too, because that's a nice place to be on a Friday in blogland.

Lucky Thirteen

Maribeth over at Dackel Princess does a little something she calls Thursday Thirteen and since I feel like a list today I'm doing the same. Everyone go say hi to Maribeth. After you read my list of course!

1. American Idol-I guess I'm in the minority but I am feeling pretty eh about this season's contestants. So far there isn't a single one I find myself looking forward to hearing from each week, no one whose singing makes me want to hop over to Itunes and download their song. There's a bright spot here and there but mostly, eh. I do look forward to seeing JLo's look every week-she is beautiful, and to hearing what kind of crazy Steven Tyler will bring, but otherwise-eh. And I think they need to be a little tougher on some of the contestants. Tough doesn't have to be mean but most weeks I miss having Simon there keeping it real.

2. Did I mention it snowed here yesterday? And last night? And it's the end of March? Just checking.

3. We are re-doing our master bathroom shower. The old shower and dry wall behind have been removed and since we're tiling the shower floor a special tub had to be ordered which will take 'a couple of weeks' to get here. Give or take. Ahem. Yesterday the tiler was here all day making the dog nervous with his hammering and sawing and whatever it is carpenters do. The original time frame on this job was three weeks. They removed the existing shower March 9th. Raise your hand if you think this project is going to take longer than three weeks?

4. Daughter1 has been in D.C. for a few days. She was due to fly out at 7:30 last night and she sat on the plane for a good long while before the flight was cancelled and they were taken back to the terminal at 9:30 PM. We finally got her re-booked on a flight for this morning and waited while she rode the metro back to her friend's house for the night. Nothing about travel is easy anymore, is it?

5. We have our neighborhood book club tonite. We read My Father's Paradise by Ariel Sabar which is described as 'a son's search for his Jewish past in Kurdish Iraq'. While its not a book I would have picked up on my own I've found it really interesting and an easy read, not something I was expecting given the description. One of the things I like most about being part of a book club is that it gets me outside my reading box. I've read some great books that I know I would have missed if they hadn't been a book club selection.

6. I love using the kindle app on my ipad. I didn't think I'd like an electronic reader but I do. One of the bonus features? Reading in bed without turning on the light...the ipad screen allows me to read and hubs to sleep undisturbed so everybody's happy.

7. We are meeting friends from the UK in the city on Saturday and I can. not. wait. We haven't seen these friends since they moved back to Texas in 2007. Their son1 and our daughter1 were big pals in high school and he's getting married this summer which I'm still trying to get my head around. Their son2 broke our daughter2's collar bone when his head collided with her shoulder in a friendly football match. Just so we're clear-my daughter wasn't in the match...she was on the sidelines. She is a magnet for stuff like this. She would not disagree.

8. We still have not booked a holiday.

9. I'm getting my hair cut and highlighted tomorrow. I can tell you right now its gonna be a good day.

10. I have struggled with my family room mantle since we moved in here. It has two story windows on either side and a mirror that reaches two stories above the fireplace too. I love it but it is tricky to decorate which is why I finally had a decorator come out and give me some advice. I've ordered something per her suggestion and I can't wait for it to arrive. Here is a before picture taken from the upstairs hallway...please disregard the dog asleep in the chair....her life is rough-

I'll post the after in a couple of weeks because nothing happens fast in the world of home improvement, does it?

11. Why is Easter so late? Why is the date so apparently random every year...sometimes it's early March and other years it's late April? We normally go to Tennessee for Easter but since we're headed south in early May to-what else?-help a child move-we've decided to have the girls come home for the holiday. I can't wait!! I still make Easter Baskets for my girls and I enjoy that. (So do they!!) And I especially look forward to sitting in church and looking down the pew and seeing my whole little family all together. Sigh.

12. I just googled my Easter question and am gonna share what I've learned because I think a blog post can be both random and educational-

The answer is-it's complicated. In short, Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the Spring Equinox. The long answer is too long, even for my blog but if you're curious you can read more here.

13. Did I tell you we have snow?

Gotta laugh to keep from cryin'

It's been a heavy week courtesy of the US Congress so I thought I'd have some fun with an American Idol recap....does anyone still watch this show besides me? Oh, and just fyi I've had two cups of coffee tonite so look out.

Okay, first things first...what in the world is up with Kara and Simon this season? Has anyone else noticed that she's practically in his lap every week? And she's all flirty and giggly? I can't be the only person who has noticed, can I? Is anyone still watching this show? My hubs must always comment on the fact that Ryan's clothes are a size too small. He's right.

The theme this week is a good one...Billboard #1's-yes! So many great songs to choose from but how much do you want to bet they let me down in the choosing? The 'mentor' is another story altogether-Miley Cyrus. Seriously? I am so not a fan. At all. She's going to give advice on pitch? Maybe I'm showing my age but ick. Hubs is really not a fan and I'm hoping he's not going to talk about the fact that she's a mentor all thru tonite's program.

On to the singing...first up is Lee Dewyze-I like him alot. He's one of my favorites and he's singing The Letter by The Box Tops and I love this song. He changed it up in a good way. He looks much more comfortable this week and he sounds great. The judges like it for the most part. Simon says it didn't show off his recording voice but he sang it well.

Hubs leaves the room to get ready for a conference call. Crazy time zones require crazy timing for conference calls.

Next up is Paige Miles-she's wearing scary high heels and is hoping not to fall. One more thing to worry about. Love the earrings and she is such a pretty girl but she is singing Against All Odds. Why? Why why why? Here we go with the bad song choice. And I have zero pitch but oh my oh my oh my. Really really bad. In fact, hubs came out of his office to see what the noise was. Not good. Judges agree and Kara says maybe the worst vocals of the season. Ouch. But true.

Tim Urban is up next. Singing Queen's Crazy Little Thing Called Love. Tim has nice blue eyes. Akkk-he just did a slide across the stage. On purpose. Kinda like he was reaching for home plate. That will go over well with the judges I'm sure. Very highschool musical for me but he seems like a nice kid.

I missed the judges remarks about Tim because daughter2 phoned. She likes to begin her conversations by saying things like, 'I have something to tell you.' I find myself bracing for some sort of impact. I expect drama but I get funny 99% of the time with her. She is way more entertaining than A. I., especially this season. Anybody else think this season is kind of dull? I ask Daughter2 if she likes Miley and she is also not a fan. Nice to know it's not my age. It's just Miley.

Aaron Kelly belts out some Aerosmith while suffering from tonsillitis...Don't Wanna Miss A Thing. He does a great job even with his throat issues. I like it. I wasn't expecting to but I liked it. And I have to say he takes all the 'kid' remarks well. Ellen joked about him being in third grade. Some teenage boys wouldn't find that funny.

Crystal Bowersox is on stage now. She looks pretty tonite-the hair, the dress...it's definitely working plus she's singing Me and Bobby McGee. Finally a great song choice! I love the Janis Joplin version and the Kris Kristofferson version both. And I love Crystal's version too. The judges all love her and Simon said she sang it as well as Pink. Crystal is my favorite.

Mike Lynche-When A Man Loves a Woman. I liked it. He's the kind of guy you just have to look at and you smile. Lots of warmth. The judges were so so...he sang it well but they thought it was predictable. And he tried too hard. Or as Simon says, "It's like you wanted one scoop of ice cream and got eleven." Yeah. Like that.

Andrew Garcia-poor Andrew. Miley convinces him to leave the guitar off stage. He's singing I Heard it Thru the Grapevine. No. Not working. I want him to do well but no. This was not his night. Again. If Paige hadn't sung completely off key and Tim hadn't done the crazy slide across the stage I'd say Andrew would be going home. I think he's safe only because Paige was so obviously bad tonite.

Katie Stevens-she's adorable. Singing Fergie's Big Girls Don't Cry. I love her voice. Love the outfit and the song choice for her. She sounds good. I enjoyed it and am liking her more from week to week. Absolutely beautiful voice.

Sorry, Daughter2 phoned again so I missed some of the judging here. I'm guessing Randy said it wasn't her best performance? Just a guess. It's his phrase du jour.

Casey James is up next. He's singing Power of Love made famous by Huey Lewis. Again with the song choice? Of all the songs he could pick this is what he chooses? He sounds fine and he's a cutie so is absolutely safe but I didn't love this. It was just eh.

Didi Benami-You're No Good by Linda Ronstadt. Hubs cracked himself up saying 'she's no good' throughout the song. I like Didi and didn't think it was that bad but the judges didn't like it. And Simon totally stole hubs line.

Siobhan Magnus is the final performer of the night. She has a gorgeous face...not sure about her hair tonite but I like the outfit. She for sure has the pipes and isn't as 'quirky' this week. I guess the scream is going to be a weekly thing. I'm pretty much over that. The judges love her and call her fearless but Simon points out that not everyone will love that. We can always count on Simon to keep it real.

My favorites tonite-Crystal and Lee

Going Home-it best be Paige.

for more A I recaps visit Boomama

There's only so many ways to say random

I'm answering this week's Random Dozen and watching American

Idol at the same time. I'm such a multi-tasker.

Actually I have to say the girls are just eh for me at the moment.

I keep leaving the room mid-song which can't be good.

Sometimes I don't even wait until they're mid-song.

And is it just me or were there a lot of downers in the playlist tonite?

Siobhan sang House of the Rising Sun (isn't that meant for a guy?) and

all I could think about was my brother learning to play the guitar

back in 1969. Wow, he liked to play that song.

And I wouldn't characterize it as exactly 'sunny'.

I still like Crystal Bowersox but tonite I liked Didi too.

She sang Rhiannon which I love.

If I were in charge of things Paige would be going home this week.

Did you want to know all this?

Hey, it is the weekly RANDOM....here are my answers to this week's questions.

1. How old is the oldest pair of shoes in your closet?

Maybe five years old? I just had two pair of boots re-heeled and they are like new again. If I love a shoe I take it to the cobbler.

2. Did you buy Girl Scout cookies this year? If so, what variety?

Funny you should ask. I bought two boxes today (Tuesday)-one Samoa and one Tag Along. I’m going to put them in my girls Easter Baskets because conveniently one loves Samoas and one loves Tag Alongs.

3. Do you know how to ballroom dance? If not, would you like to?

No and no.

4. Were you a responsible child/teenager?

I love that every single week in the random dozen there is one question where I get to reaffirm in some way the fact that I was and still am a rule follower. I was a (mostly) responsible teenager.

5. How many of this year's Oscar-nominated movies did you see?

I saw Julie and Julia (best actress nominee) and Crazy Heart, which won in the Best Actor category.

We saw two in the Best Picture Category-

The Blind Side- I’m a fan of Sandra Bullock and SEC football and I absolutely loved the story portrayed in this film. Bring your kleenex. We also saw Up in The Air. George Clooney is in it so what’s not to love? I met him once and somehow this piece of trivia keeps coming up on my facebook page so I think I’m going to tell the story on my blog at some point.

There is all kinds of stuff going on in my post today isn’t there?

6. If you're going to have a medical procedure done, such as having blood drawn, is it easier for you to watch someone else having the procedure done or have it done yourself?

Well, I guess it depends on the procedure but I’m not really squeamish when it comes to having my own blood drawn. I could watch them draw yours without fainting too so I’m happy to hold a hand if needed.

7. What is your favorite day of the week and why?

I know this is ridiculous logic (oxymoron?) but I love Thursdays…I think it is the anticipation of the weekend. Once the weekend actually hits I start looking toward the new week. Thursdays are still full of the promise of the weekend.

8. Do you miss anyone right now?

Sigh.

My daughters who are in college several states away.

My husband who is traveling.

My extended family living in various places around the US

My friends in the UK

My friends scattered far and wide around the world.

Um, I guess my answer would be a firm yes.

9. Do hospitals make you queasy?

Am I there visiting a new born baby? No

Am I there for surgery? Perhaps.

10. At which store would you like to max-out your credit card. Not that you ever would, you responsible person, you.

A toss up between Ann Taylor and Nordstroms. I might not even need to leave the shoe department.

11. Are you true to the brand names of products/items?

For the most part, yes.

12. Which is more difficult: looking into someone’s eyes when you are telling someone how you feel, or looking into someone’s eyes when he/she is telling you how he/she feels?

Are we breaking up or saying I love you?

You knew I would complicate this right?

If it’s all good then I don’t find either one uncomfortable. It it’s bad then I find looking into someone’s eyes when I’m expressing the feeling to be more difficult. There would probably be some fidgeting involved too.