Weekend?

So I think we had a weekend.  Honestly it went by in such a blur, I'm not sure it can be called a weekend, but it's Monday and I'm headed to the dentist so yeah, the weekend has definitely come and gone.

Hubs arrived home from Arizona around 1:30 in the morning Friday night. Wait, that would make it Saturday morning.  I cannot say for certain because I was in a deep deep sleep on our very comfy couch.  I'd told hubs to text me when he was leaving the airport so I could unlock the garage door for him.  That way he wouldn't have to fumble with a key and luggage in the pitch black NJ countryside, because I'm helpful like that.  Except when I'm not.  I guess he did text me because-

Course I never heard a thing even though I'd purposely set my phone right beside my head and turned the ringer all the way up. Next thing I know the kitchen lights are on and hubs is talking.  Have I told you this getting up with the crows is kicking my behind? Also I feel the need to point out that I managed a screen shot here. It's possible I had to phone my daughter to ask her how to do that
again, but still it feels like a small win.

Saturday we awoke to an absolutely gorgeous day. Sunshine and temperatures close to 60 degrees. In November!

I know!

We sipped coffee and had breakfast, then decided to get out for a walk. It was far too pretty to stay indoors.

We took our pup to her happy place, a nearby nature preserve, and afterwards stopped in our local pub to split an order of nachos and soak up the sun in their outdoor seating. I'd show you a picture of my pup but it's on my good camera, and for some reason the camera is not connecting to our computer.

The technology war rages on.

We came home to
nap on the couchwatch football, and may I just say the Georgia-Auburn game is everything I love about SEC football. If you missed it, you missed a play that will likely be talked about for years to come. Uh-may-zing. When the game ended we went out to dinner because cooking is not permitted in a weekend that's really a day. My rules. Hubs agrees.

On Sunday hubs needed to go buy some new running shoes, re-pack his suitcase, and head back to the airport, so that's what we did. While he was shoe shopping I popped in to Target to pick up a few more little bits and pieces for my Operation Christmas Child Shoebox. My ladies bible study group is packing boxes on Tuesday morning so I grabbed a few extra items for those.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, click here to get details. It's not too late to pack a box, if you haven't already.

And that my friends was the weekend.  Short and sweet and filled with just enough happies to get me through an hour in the dentist chair today.  So how was your weekend?

An Uncommon Hodgepodge

Welcome to another edition of the Wednesday Hodgepodge! Add your link at the end of my post and then hop around and chat with your neighbors.  Here are my answers-

1. When it comes to good manners, what two top your list of most important?

Saying please when you ask for something and thank you when you're given something (even if its something intangible such as verbal directions or the right of way).  I think if we could do this small thing the world would be a nicer place.  

Treat others as you would like to be treated.  

I miss common courtesy, and think the cell phone has to be one of the biggest contributors to its demise. Everywhere you go people are on the phone including church, graduations and other milestone celebrations, crossing the street, entering buildings, sitting in a quiet dark theater, while driving, even in the restroom stall one away from your own. ewwww!  Unless a patient is waiting on you to perform an organ transplant, I think you can safely put that phone conversation off until after you've peed. 

2. Let's open a proverbial can of worms...Common Core.  Are you familiar with the term (talking education reform in the USA)? If so, care to share your thoughts? In your opinion, what is one of the biggest issues schools (in your home country) face today?

I'm familiar with the term. I guess my personal philosophy is that children are not products and cannot be managed as such. And why do we always want to mandate something then figure out if its good or bad after the fact, especially when it comes to children? Why can't we have a period of time where the standards are tried and tested by fire-in the actual classroom by lots of different teachers with lots of different teaching styles and student populations-before we insist everyone adopt them.  

I had a longer answer here, but it seemed like too much so I'll just leave it at that. 

3. Name a celebrity whose fashion sense you admire and share why.

Jennifer Anniston. Her style is casually cool, trendy but not overly so, plus she can rock a pair of blue jeans or a more sophisticated look for evening. 

4. How are you affected by the changing seasons?

For the most part, I enjoy the changing seasons. I do think there is a small sadness in the air this time of year, and perhaps that's why God added so much glorious color to the month of October. I love the first few snows of the season, but could do without the springtime blizzard.  I start to feel restless if winter lingers into late March or early April, but mostly I'm happy to live in a state with four seasons.  

5. Scariest book you've ever read?

The Red Dragon by Thomas Harris.  For the record I try hard not to read anything disturbing. I love mysteries, but not the creepy serial killer variety, and this one was definitely creepy scary. Plus I was living alone at the time so BIG mistake. 

The book was originally published in the early 80's and was the first book to feature Dr. Hannibal Lecter.  If I were to pick that book up today I'd put it immediately back on the shelf, because we're all familiar with Hannibal Lecter in the year 2013.  Back in 1981 he was introduced via this book. Not to spoil anything in it, but this was also the day of taking your film somewhere for processing, and after I read that book it was hard for me to ever drop off film without flashing back to this story. FYI-the book was even creepier than the movie, and that's saying something.

6. What time of day are you most hungry?  What's your go-to snack?

Late afternoon. I would love to eat dinner at that time, because that's really when I'm hungry, but since hubs is never home at 4:30 in the afternoon I wait.  I try not to forage.  I don't always succeed, but I try. Sometimes I'll make a cup of tea and that takes the edge off, but if I start rummaging through the pantry all bets are off.  9 almonds doesn't cut it.  This is why I don't buy chips, because if there were chips in my pantry at 4 in the afternoon that's likely what I'd unsuccessfully try to resist.  This time of year I will often have an apple which isn't bad as far as snacks go.  I'll cut it into slices which somehow makes it more satisfying.

7. Do you lean more towards being too needy or too independent? Which do you find harder to deal with in others?

My family (as in my mom and sibs) will tell you that from the time I was a tiny tot my most often uttered phrase was 'I can do it myself'.  There is an upside and a downside to independent people, but I think its mostly good.  I know there are times I make hubs crazy by resisting help, but when you have a spouse who travels a lot, and you move a lot, independence serves you well.  

If a person is truly needy I have all the patience in the world for them.  If they are spoiled needy then I find that more difficult.  Independent people are easier, unless of course they want to do something contrary to my way of doing something.  Ha!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Something I love to do every year is pack a shoebox or two for Operation Christmas Child. Yes, I know it's still 62 days until Christmas (not that I'm counting), but the National Shoebox Collection Week is November 18th-25th, and that really is just around the corner.  

You'll find everything you need to know about what to pack, how to pack it, what to pack it in, and where to drop or send your shoebox on the Samaritan's Purse website (click here for details). 

Honestly this is such a wonderful ministry to children all over the world, and it's easy and fun to fill a shoebox. Humbling too, to realize how excited a little child somewhere will be to get a brand new toothbrush or their very own bar of soap.  

You select the age range and gender for your box, and I almost always buy for girls because that's what I know best. I buy a few essentials, but also some fun things like a pink purse or glittery crayons and stickers. You can even track your box now by printing a label at home, and then once it's delivered you'll get an email letting you know where your box was sent. 

I encourage you to visit the website and see what it's all about.  You can bless a child with a shoebox, and in the filling of that shoebox I think you'll find you're blessed right back.