Sum-Sum-Summertime Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Grab your shades and your pool noodle and jump on in! Be sure to add your link at the end of my post, and don't forget to leave a comment for your neighbors there. Here we go-

1. Summer's here!  In the northern hemisphere anyway. If you're in the southern hemisphere substitute winter for the word summer. What do you love most about summer? What's your biggest summer pet peeve? 

What do I love most about summer? 

Evening daylight that stretches past 8 PM, then turns a golden hue which somehow makes you feel like anything is possible. 

My biggest pet peeve? 

I dislike being hit in the face with 100% humidity when I open the door at 6 AM. I like cooler (or at least reasonable) temps in the morning and want the day to warm up gradually. That doesn't usually happen in in the summers here.  

2. What song always reminds you of summer? 

I have a whole summer playlist of favorites but beach music tops the list. If I hear beach music I think summer and one of my favorites is Summertime's Calling Me by The Catalinas. We all love that song in our house. 

There's a lot of country music on my summer playlist. Kenny Chesney's Anything But Mine is probably my favorite song of his and definitely a summer favorite. 

3. What's something you remember about your childhood summers? Do you think kids today get to enjoy summer the way you did as a child? Elaborate. 

There were all the simple pleasures of childhood like riding our bikes to the swim club, big games of neighborhood hide and seek, chasing fireflies in our backyard, homemade ice cream, family picnics with family friends, Barbies with my sister under the big tree out back, etc. 

Mostly though, when I think of childhood summers, I remember less the specific moments and more the feeling of freedom that surrounded them. The idea that there was nowhere I needed to be, and the way time felt so spacious and carefree. That carefree feeling is linked to childhood in my mind, and somehow I think we as children sensed it and so we savored it all the more. 

That's me in the yellow top and the blue keds with my two best friends coloring on our porch on a sunny summer day. I can feel the freedom from here. 

Do kids get to enjoy summer the way I did as a child? 

I think so, if parents help make it so. I see my grandchildren enjoying a carefree summer in much the same way I did. They spend their days outside, swimming, playing games in their backyard, riding bikes, staying up a little later than normal and enjoying family time and time with their friends. They're not carrying adult sized problems and worrying about much more than being a kid. 

4. We celebrate Fathers Day on June 21st. Do you favor your dad in looks or temperament? Tell us something about your dad. Or your husband as a dad. Or a son/son-in-law as a dad. Or your grandpa. 

My sisters and I were always told we favored my dad in looks, while my brother looked more like our mom.  I think we're all four a combination of both parents. 

If I had to describe my dad in a single word it would be solid.  He was a hard worker, a man of deep faith, someone who lived with integrity. While he wasn't a big talker we all knew we were loved and we could count on him. 

I think I wanted that same quality in a husband and I have it. My hubs is solid. And so are my sons-in-law. They're all excellent providers, strong in the ways that count, faithful, and they love their families well. 

My hubs is not a man of few words though lol. I'm glad. 

5. Let's wrap up with a summer this or that-

• flip flops or sandals~sandals
• beach or pool~beach
• watermelon or peaches~watermelon
• shorts or sundress~shorts
• iced coffee or ice cold lemonade~lemonade
• amusement park or water park~water park for sure...this is the only question I didn't want to answer with 'both' 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

This post is a lot of words and almost no pictures. Grands are in the house this week and I'm enjoying having our tiny cousin crew all together.  

Filling The Summer Sand Pail

Good Monday morning friends and hello summer. We had a nice weekend, pretty low key with a visit to my mama, a trip to Costco, a day of puppy sitting for my daughter's new dog, lots of World Cup viewing, Sunday morning church and then grandkids home from holiday coming over Sunday afternoon for a swim in the lake. 

And according to hubs I had a seriously good nap on the lower patio couch which is so super comfy you cannot help but sink into sleep there. 

It's not Father's Day unless Dad cooks his own dinner, right? We grilled a pork tenderloin Saturday night and we love to make fried rice on the griddle with the leftovers. So good! 

Since spring has officially come to a close I'm going to look back at my bucket list and see how I did. It would be better if I glanced at it a little more often than I actually have this season, but c'est la vie.  

I used to make lengthy lists, but the summer I fractured my ankle I realized most of that summer's very long list was not going to happen and now I make lists that feel more manageable. Here's what my spring list looked like-

Help Mom move-✔️ 

Meet some bloggers irl ✔️ This was fun and I wrote about it here-Weekend ReKap

Easter! with treats for the grands ✔️

plan a special something for D1's birthday ✔️( ish) -Daughter1's birthday landed on a Sunday at the end of a weekend filled with the baseball all-star tournament her son was playing in, so whooohoo! Baseball's special, right? I did make her an angel food cake topped with strawberries and whipped cream which is her favorite so that counts. 

About that attic (again and still)✔️-hubs and I made a significant dent in the attic organization and while it's not completely perfect it is vastly improved. More importantly hubs isn't bringing it up on a regular basis anymore so even he is pretty happy with our efforts. 

laundry room (ditto) X-this will stay on the to-do list because I didn't get to it this spring. It's not a huge task, but I need to buy a couple of organizational bits and bobs before I pull everything out of the cabinets and I haven't gotten round to doing that yet. YET! 

buy spring dresses for the grandgirls ✔️-you don't have to tell me twice lol. I bought each grandgirl an Easter dress and a fun spring dress and I could have bought at least a dozen more but I kept myself in check. The struggle is real. 

host a Derby party X- as it happened my mom moved into her new space Derby weekend so we had to bow out of hosting. Instead I spent that Friday with my sisters helping mom get settled, then had the five grandkids plus an 8-week old puppy here overnight on Saturday. Life y'all. Gotta live it. 

shop a Farmer's Market X-still have lots of opportunity to make this happen so it's going back on the list for summer

visit a garden ✔️-hubs and I walked the Botanical Garden trail in Highlands NC while on our anniversary overnight getaway. It was lovely. 

celebrate sweet baby J's birthday ✔️-the cousin crew is together this week and we're having a lakeside family birthday celebration for our favorite 4-year old. He celebrated in Tennessee with a friends party but since they were coming here the next week we decided to have a cousin bash too. 

make a spring dessert ✔️-these strawberry lemon bars were super delish. 

They're made with fresh strawberries, fresh strawberry puree, and freshly squeezed lemon juice. So good! 

plan/celebrate an anniversary overnight ✔️-I wrote about it here (The Other Highlands). 

visit a restaurant new to us ✔️-we dined in a restaurant I'd never been to on our anniversary and loved every bite, loved the attention to detail, and loved the wonderful service. We also tried a fun BBQ restaurant whose grill master won last summer's season of Bobby Flay's BBQ Brawl. Really good! 

Well, look at me go. Set the bar low and it's easy to hop over ha! There were some enjoyable spring activities on this list and checking things off felt like fun, not pressure, which is the way I want my bucket list to feel. 

Now onward to summer. I don't include activities like swimming and boating and BBQs with friends because it's summer on the lake and those things happen whether I write them down or not. 

Do you have a few things you don't want to miss this summer? What's on your list? 

Linking with Holly and Sarah today for their Hello Monday hop

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 659

Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then hop back here on Wednesday (June 24th) to add your link  to the party. See you there! 

1. Summer's here!  In the northern hemisphere anyway. If you're in the southern hemisphere substitute winter for the word summer. What do you love most about summer? What's your biggest summer pet peeve? 

2. What song always reminds you of summer? 

3. What's something you remember about your childhood summers? Do you think kids today get to enjoy summer the way you did as a child? Elaborate. 

4. We celebrate Fathers Day on June 21st. Do you favor your dad in looks or temperament? Tell us something about your dad. Or your husband as a dad. Or a son/son-in-law as a dad. Or your grandpa. 

5. Let's wrap up with a summer this or that-

• flip flops or sandals
• beach or pool 
• watermelon or peaches
• shorts or sundress
• iced coffee or ice cold lemonade
• amusement park or water park

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Recapping The Weekend Trifecta

And happy anniversary to us! Hubs is in one state and I'm in another, but we'll still mark 41 years of married life today. 

This particular weekend in June is what I call the trifecta here. Not only is it our anniversary, it's also Grandson #3's birthday and Father's Day too. Whew! Lots to celebrate. 

Let's back up and take it one occasion at a time, k? 

We had plans to travel to Daughter2's house in Tennessee for the big birthday bash happening there on Saturday afternoon. Hubs and I were going to head that direction Friday afternoon and then Daughter1 and her kiddos would join us there Saturday morning. 

Before leaving town we had a small birthday brunch here for a friend celebrating a milestone year. I mean why not? We had three couples in addition to the two of us. We intended to make bacon and eggs on the griddle, but the weather didn't cooperate for outdoor cooking. We still were able to dine outside, but hubs made the bacon and eggs on the stove. I made my overnight French toast, one friend brought a delicious hash brown casserole, and another friend brought a beautiful fruit tray.  

I think birthdays should be celebrated and this was a fun gathering. 

Once everyone left to get on with their weekend we finished cleaning up and hit the road to hub's brother and sister-in-law's house. My mother-in-law lives nearby and we were going to spend the night at my brother-in-law's then collect hubs mom Saturday morning to go the additional hour and a half to the party. 

This was our first trip to the Knoxville area driving our pre-Helene route. The highway between Asheville and Knoxville has been mostly closed or single lane since the hurricane hit and it's still a huge mess. You can at least get through now, and the traffic wasn't too terrible. I know most of the country has moved on from the disaster of Helene to any number of other crises our country has experienced since, but it's really hard to see and think about all that's been lost or rearranged in the western Carolinas and East Tennessee. 

We arrived at my brother-in-law's home in time for dinner. They grilled delicious filets and it's always great to see them and catch up in person. They were also keeping the little brown dog for us overnight so we didn't have to bring him to the party and he loves that. 

Saturday morning we picked up hub's mama and headed to Daughter2's. Her sister arrived with her crew and the world's biggest dinosaur balloon shortly after and we all had lunch. 

The party wasn't starting until 3:30 and the weather was questionable. They have a bounce house and we got that set up (by 'we' I mean my son-in-law of course) and then about an hour before the party the skies opened up, it rained buckets, then blew on out and the sun shone once more. 

Guests began arriving and the kids had a ball. My daughter and son-in-law have the nicest friends and they all have kids of a similar age which is fun. My daughter's in-laws were also there and we always enjoy time spent with them. 

The party had a dinosaur theme and everything was super cute. There was pizza and ice cream cake with a side of cupcakes too. 

The bounce house got a workout so a win for kids and parents alike. 

One of my favorite things about the day- 

Since Daughter2 had a full house with the in-laws in town plus her sister with her three children, hubs and I booked hotel rooms for us and for his mom for the night. The in-laws are staying over for several days and it didn't make sense for them to go to a hotel. 

Sunday morning we went back to the house for breakfast with the whole gang. I'd made two trays of french toast for the Friday brunch and brought one with me for the weekend which worked out well. My son-in-law made bacon and eggs on his Blackstone so everyone ate well. 

Oh, and happy Father's Day! I brought chocolates for all the dads and they had plans to go skeet shooting or clays or something similar that afternoon which they love. I rode back to the lake with my daughter1 and her kids as I had some things to take care of today, Monday. Hubs drove his mom back to her home Sunday afternoon, then spent the night at his brother's house. He had plans to meet a long time friend for lunch and will be home later today. 

Forty one years ago today we said I Do. We'll make plans for a celebratory dinner in the next couple of weeks, because while we're always living life all in, I still think it's important to set aside time to mark the year. To see where we are and where we've been and to say we're still here.

I always write a birthday letter to my grands on their special day, and if you'd like to read today's birthday letter, you'll find it linked here-Dino-mighty

Linking today with Holly and Sarah for their regular Monday morning weekend recap hop. 

Jump over to their blogs if you'd like to join the party. Have a great day everyone~

Five Things On A Friday

 Linking with Erika and Andrea today and sharing a few favorites from the week that was...

1. My sister was going through some of my mom's boxes (my mom lives with her) and she sent me this-

A Father's day card I made when I was in elementary school. Here's what I wrote inside...

Comparing him to the father of our country and the patriarch of Israel. Not bad for a ten year old. 

My dad was not a man who gushed and the fact that he saved this makes it feel extra special to me. 

2. Luggage. Go big or go home. I bought the world's biggest suitcase before our trip and I'm not even kidding. A stranger in an elevator even commented on the size, and hubs had a lot to say about it too lol. 

Also, I loved it. Empty it weighed just 8 lb, which given it's size wasn't much, and it rolled like a dream. I wore every single item of clothing I brought with me and I had a jacket for hubs and his shaving bag in there too. The brand is Travel Pro Maxlite 5 Breakaway (I chose slate green) and I bought these cute luggage tags (Amazon) to go with-

It's the little things, right? 

3. These shoes-

They're the Skechers Virtue Show Runners and I got them in navy. They came in my last Stitch Fix box and I love them. 

I told the stylist I would be traveling and doing a lot of walking and the comfort factor with these is five star. They're light weight and run true to size. I'm thinking about getting a second pair. 

4. This coat-

True story...I lived in this coat the second week of our trip. I paid 25 pounds (roughly 32$) for it at the Super Tesco near my daughter's home. Yes, I bought a coat at the grocery store. It's got a fleece lining, a hood, is water resistant, and the pockets are perfect. 

I brought my Barbour coat with me but forgot the hood and I also inadvertently left my rain jacket at home (still filled that giant suitcase though lol). It wasn't a problem week one because the weather was amazing, but the Sunday before hubs and I were to head to York I could see there was rain in the forecast.

I was kicking myself for leaving my rain jacket behind, and my daughter suggested I try the local grocery store (this one also has clothing, etc so more like a Walmart). Voila! 

It's so cozy comfy and definitely saved the day. 

5. Our outdoor project. It's mostly done. Not 100% which is the goal, but we plan to break in the BBQ bar this weekend. 

The project was basically three pieces-the waterfall, the BBQ bar, and the outdoor dining space under the screened porch. This is the view looking down from the porch above. 

Prior to the project we had riverstone underneath the screened porch. Almost as soon as we built the house hubs was wishing we'd made this area a patio. Until we took the riverstone away I didn't realize how big the space was. 

We added pavers in their place and we're waiting on a fan and some twinkle lights to be installed in that section. This is the lower level of our house and we mainly use these garages for storage and a little car hubs gets out from time to time. Mostly we use this driveway for cornhole so it will be nice to have the grilling bar right there. There's room for some bar stools but add that to the list of things we need to buy. 

I don't have a picture of the actual dining space but once we get the fan and the lights and some furniture in there I'll share. I have family coming for dinner on Sunday and we'll probably use the space with our current table and a folding table and that will be fun too. 

Have a nice weekend everyone! 

Weekend Jamboree

The weekend. It was a doozy y'all, and I mean that in a good way. It was my grandson's second birthday. It was anniversary #40 for the hubs and I. It was Father's Day. It was baby dedication day for Sugar at their church. 

It was food and fun and family. 

It was cards and presents and balloons. 

It was baby girl in her Daddy's baptismal gown and a sermon that highlighted marriage on the very day we married. 

It was men supervising the BBQ, the grill, and the smoker. 

It was also college baseball (GO VOLS!), heat, and naps in cribs and on couches. 

I could write a post about any one of those things, but I think I'll just dive in and see where we land. I will very likely write a separate post about our anniversary because someday I have to climb out of the shallow end of the blog pool and get back into deeper waters. There is much to be said about a long married life. Stay tuned. 

Back to the kiddie pool...we made the three hour drive to daughter2's house Friday morning, with a stop at her nearby Publix to pick up subs for lunch. When we walked in the door sweet baby J literally clapped his hands and jumped for joy at seeing our faces. There's not much in the world that can top that. 

We had lunch and both kiddies took naps before the in-law grandparents rolled in. We hung out on the porch and passed Sugar from grandparent to grandparent while little man played. There's a lot of watching the grands do whatever kids do when you're a grandparent. And you think it's all marvelous because it absolutely is. 

Daughter2 made spaghetti for dinner and we watched Tennessee baseball win in the last seconds of the game to beat Florida State and then we watched all the replays and then Saturday we watched the ending a few more times because it was so good. 

Unless you're a Seminole of course. 

Anyway, Saturday morning was the birthday party for sweet baby J. As an aside, I always write my grandchildren a letter on their birthdays and you can read his in the link here (Two-rrific). The birthday was small, really just family and the next door neighbors, but the size was perfect for someone turning two. 

There was a cute construction theme with vests for the guests, and bins of kinetic sand with lots of construction vehicles and assorted road works equipment tucked inside. There were chicken minis from Chick-fil-a, sausage balls, a fruit tray, pasta salad and a scrumptious homemade cake courtesy of his momma. 

Homemade and homestyle are my favorite kind of parties, and J had a ball leisurely opening presents and exclaiming WOW! upon seeing each and every gift unwrapped. Completely precious. Everyone rested, chatted, read, and/or napped that afternoon, then my son-in-law grilled hotdogs and burgers for dinner and then we all pretty much collapsed into bed at an early hour. 

Did I mention the heat? Whew! It was extreme all weekend long. 

Sunday morning I got up and took a walk around the neighborhood before the temperature went soaring, we had a quick breakfast, and the guys all opened their Father's Day cards and gifts. 

We don't really do gifts on Father's Day, but I bought all the men a jar of these pickles I spotted at the local farm stand the other day. They all like pickles and spicy food (these have a whole jalapeno in them, along with lots of garlic and onions) plus the name screamed Father's Day to me. 

We all changed and  loaded up the cars for the short ride to church. There were four babies being dedicated today and big brother was feeling like the freshly minted 2-year old he is up there grinning on the stage with his parents. His dad had one hand on his shirt collar most of the time, but sweet baby J enjoyed every minute lol. 

Sugar of course was just like her name. Sweet. She has the biggest, best smile y'all. It's like a full body smile and her whole adorable face lights up. 

After the dedication portion concluded the whole congregation sang Jesus Loves Me and it made me feel so teary. Getting toddlers and babies and yourselves to church on Sunday mornings is not for the faint of heart, but my daughter2's church is bursting at the seams with small children. Makes my heart so happy to know these young families are doing whatever it takes to get there each week. To raise their children in this upside down world to put their faith in the One who made it. 

The media loves to tell us every awful thing millennials and older Gen Z-ers are up to, but when I'm around my girls and their friends I see hard working, committed, faithful parents raising families and living with intention. These young adults don't make the news, but they are quietly going about the business of living full, productive lives, and the world is less depressing when we remember that. 

My son-in-law is a master griller and he smoked a delicious pork butt for Father's Day dinner. 

There was more college baseball afterwards (GO VOLS!) and it was the perfect way to end a perfect weekend. I think Sweet baby J would tell you that next to the balloons this was his favorite part-

So how did you spend your weekend? 

                              

Linking up with Holly and Sarah for their regular Hello Monday blog party...see you there! 

 

A Simple Hodgepodge

Welcome to another week of Wednesday Hodgepodge-ing. 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 on the list. Or all the bloggers on the list, if you've got time to fill. Here we go-

1. June 12 is National Simplicity Day. In what way is your life simple? What's one way that it's not? 

We're retired, so for the most part can organize our day in whatever way suits us. That being said, it seems we always have a full calendar and we're on the go a lot, which means when we are at home we're adding in appointments, home maintenance and repairs etc. 

But! since we're retired if someone suggests spur of the moment fun, we're in. 

And then of course there are family logistics. Always a thing for us. Our moms in two different states. Our siblings in several different states. Our daughters in two different states. We spend a lot of time figuring out how to be with our people. 

2. Something you remember from a 'simpler time'? 

One thing that stands out to me is how we live in a culture today of immediacy. Everything at our fingertips with the click of a mouse or the push of a button. We've lost the wonderful sense of anticipation that was so much a part of my own childhood. 

We had to wait for so many things...our favorite television show (if ya missed it ya missed it), Christmas wasn't a 2-month celebration in terms of decor and activity, a new dress at Easter, your turn to use the phone, vacations once a year and certainly nothing 'exotic'

Waiting for something wonderful was part of what made it wonderful. We can ask if the world was indeed simpler when we were growing up, or do we just remember it that way, but I'm going to say it was. Technology. There basically was none. We didn't know what we didn't know and that made life simpler in so many ways. 

3. Do you like squash? If so what's your favorite variety? What's a favorite way to prepare squash? 

I do like squash, all kinds, so not sure I have a favorite. I probably love butternut, yellow, and zucchini best.  I like butternut squash soup in the fall and there's a squash casserole I love to make this time of year called Mrs. Hopkins Boarding House Squash . Simple and delicious.

4. Do you shop the warehouse stores (such as Costco, Sam's B.J's, etc)? If so how often do you go, and what's something you always buy in this type of store? 

We shop occasionally at Costco. It's a fair drive so we might go once every six weeks or so. If we're going in to the nearby small big city we put it on our agenda. I always buy paper towels and tp there. We like some of their meats, their frozen pizza, and hubs favorite snack is the peanut butter filled pretzel bites, so if they're in stock I'll buy those too. 

5. Father's Day is this coming Sunday. Any plans to make the day special? Tell us something about your own father, or something about your hubs as a father, or about someone who stepped into your life and acted as a father if yours was not a part of your life. 

While my mother worked part time later in their marriage my parents mostly had the more traditional roles of husband and wife/father and mother. My dad went to work, mowed the lawn, and paid the bills. My mom managed the house, meals, and most things kid related. My dad was a man of deep faith, a hard worker, steady. While he didn't always have a lot to say, he was always there for us and we knew we could count on him. The blessing of that sense of security a solid father brings to a family cannot be overstated. 

We have a lot happening on Father's Day this year. Our third grandson has a birthday on Father's Day which also happens to be our 40th wedding anniversary. 

As an aside, every time I write that number I kind of scratch my head and think, 'that can't be right? we're not old enough to have been married 40 years are we?'

Yet, here we are. 40 years of married life. It goes fast y'all. 

Anyway, since all the grandparents will be in town my daughter and son-in-law will also have baby girl's dedication at church that day. I'm sure my son-in-law will grill something wonderful and it will be a nice weekend filled with family fun. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

My dad died at the too young age of 66. He never got to see his grandgirls grow up, never even got to meet his grandson who arrived more than a decade after this shot was taken. It's one of my favorite pictures though...

He adored these girls and they loved him right back. 

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