It's Hodgepodge Day! Bienvenue!

Bonjour mes amis! Welcome to the games of the five hundred and sixty first 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. Or after you. Or all the bloggers on the list. 

On your mark, get set, go...

1. The Olympics kick off this coming weekend. Will you be watching? If you could watch just one event in person, which one would you choose? 

We'll definitely be watching. I always enjoy the Olympics. 

If I could only see one event in person I guess it would be swimming. I've always loved the gymnastics but we know more now about what goes on behind the scenes as well as the toll the sport takes on the body, so it's less appealing to me than it once was. 

2. Have you ever been to Paris? Is this a city you'd like to visit? What's your favorite 'French thing'? 

Ah, Paris. I love it. I've been a few times as it was an easy train ride from the UK. I cannot imagine the traffic with the Olympics on tap, but I wouldn't say no to a trip. 

My favorite French thing? Impossible to choose just one. France is a beautiful country and while I love Paris I love the small villages and countryside more. 

I also love the language, the food, the wine, the champagne...

... the architecture, the cheese, the bread, the Alps...                                                 

3. Macaron, creme brulee, chocolate souflee, mille feuille, or an eclair...your favorite French patisserie from the ones listed? 

Yes please. 

Okay, if I must choose-Creme brulee is my favorite dessert, but I do love all of the above. Europeans know how to do afternoon coffee and cake. 

4. July 24th is National Cousins Day...do you have many cousins? Are you close to them? Will you see any of your cousins on July 24th? 

I have a lot of cousins, but have never lived geographically near them, and most of my cousins are older than me. One of my dad's brothers had two sons nearer the age of my younger sister and I, and we did see them from time to time, as they were at least on the east coast. My parents grew up in Colorado and New Mexico so most of my cousins lived on that side of the country, and people didn't travel the way they do now. 

This was taken on my grandparents Colorado farm. My grandpa is the one who looks like a farmer and I'm standing beside him with my brother, younger sister, and two of my cousins. My uncle is the one with his shirt unbuttoned. It was summer so I guess maybe he was warm? 

Whenever we visited grandparents we spent time with our cousins too. It wasn't often, but I liked knowing I was part of a big extended family and still appreciate that today. Thanks to Facebook I've reconnected with some of them there. It's been fun to see their growing families and share a little bit of our lives that way. 

5.  Last time you went somewhere that felt like 'everyone and his cousin' was there? 

Hmm...I pretty much try to avoid huge crowds these days. How about my dock on the 4th of July lol! If you don't know what I'm talking about I mentioned it here-A Post Holiday Hello Monday

We'll be at the Atlanta airport this week and I can pretty much guarantee there will be a crowd. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I've recently added a follow me by email option on my sidebar. If you'd like to be notified via email of new posts here, just put your address in the box and click subscribe. 

Also, I'm wondering how you respond to comments on your blog? Do you reply to the commenter by email or do you reply to them right under their comment on your own blog? If you ask a question in the comments section do you go back to the blog to see if it's been answered? 

If I respond to a commenter under their comment I'm not sure the person will be notified or will come back and see my answer.  Email replies feel more reliable, and I usually end up doing both. 

Happy Wednesday everyone! 

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 561

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

1. The Olympics kick off this coming weekend. Will you be watching? If you could watch just one event in person, which one would you choose? 

2. Have you ever been to Paris? Is this a city you'd like to visit? What's your favorite 'French thing'? 

3. Macaron, creme brulee, chocolate soufle, mille feuille, or an eclair...your favorite French patisserie from the ones listed? 

4. July 24th is National Cousins Day...do you have many cousins? Are you close to them? Will you see any of your cousins on July 24th? 

5.  Last time you went somewhere that felt like 'everyone and his cousin' was there? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

And The Hodgepodge It Goes Round And Round

Welcome to the last Hodgepodge in July. Summer is a-flyin'! 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. July 25th is National Merry-Go-Round Day. Do you call it a merry-go-round or a carousel? When was the last time you rode one? Did you enjoy that? Metaphorically speaking what feels like a merry go round you're on right now? 

I've used both terms, but probably use merry-go-round more often (although neither are said a lot!).  I haven't ridden a merry-go-round in years. I think the last time might have been September, 2007 on a weekend trip to Disney Paris with hubs and our girls. I'm not a fan of spinning anything, but as long as the ride doesn't last too long or spin too fast it's okay. I did enjoy this ride and everything else about that weekend. 

As far as what feels like stepping on to a merry-go-round...maybe home ownership? You tackle one project and turn around only to discover three more have been added to the list. 

2. What word do you have a hard time pronouncing? What word do you have a hard time spelling? What's your favorite word in another language? 

Pronouncing? Anemone, which fortunately doesn't come up in conversation too often. 

Spelling? Lately that would be Cincinatti. I have to think about it every single time. Necessity is another. 

Favorite word in another language? I love the phrases c'est la vie, carpe diem, and chin chin. 

3. What's a phrase or cliche you use pretty often and find to be true?

'Every little thing's gonna be alright.' 

I said this often to my girls when they were growing up, and I say it to myself sometimes still. 

4. When it comes to grocery shopping what is your most dreaded chore-menu planning, the actual shopping, or the unloading/putting away? How often do you shop? Do you use any of the pick up and/or delivery services?

Unloading and putting them away. Ugh. My energy is generally pretty high in the meal planning stage and even with the actual shopping, but it dips about the time I pull into the garage and think about putting it all away. I shopped on Monday and it took me almost an hour to get everything unloaded and 'dealt with'.

I bought a watermelon and like to cut that into cubes to go in the frig right away. And of course it's too much for one container which means a trip downstairs to put the second container in my other frig. I also bought a rotisserie chicken to use in a dish I was making for dinner so that had to be cut up too. Then between the rind of the melon and the carcass of the chicken I had a lot of rubbish which meant a trip up to the curb to get it in the can before the rubbish was collected. I think I got at least 1000 steps in just putting away groceries. 

I shop about every 4-5 days. I like fresh produce and it starts to get wilty beyond that.  I usually meal plan enough dinners for a full week -ten days. We don't have a delivery option out here in the country, and I don't use pick up. 

Is all this more than you wanted to know about my shopping habits lol? 

5. Something you need or want to do before July comes to a close? 

Organize a little crafty project I have in mind for my daughter's birthday, complete some lingering paperwork for our financial planner, and read the books on my nightstand that need to be returned to the library. I'm halfway there in terms of the books. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Curious to know if you've seen, or have plans to see, any of the new movies out right now-Barbie? Oppenheimer? Mission Impossible? The Sound of Freedom? If so what did you think? 

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Questions for the Hodgepodge and the City of Lights

If you're here looking for this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge questions you'll find them at the bottom of this post.

But don't you want to hear about Paris first?

P is for Paris

Just typing that makes me happy. Oh I know people go on and on about something they call the 'attitude' you run into in Paris but the city, she is tres belle! I have been to Paris a few times which might sound a little snooty but I promise, it's not. Think of it like this-when you live in London you're just a quick two hour train ride from The City of Lights. Kind of like where I live now in North Jersey. I could hop on a train and be in Washington D.C. in a couple of hours. Incidentally, did you know the design of D.C. was the creation of a French born architect who was heavily influenced by the city of Paris? I'm afraid the similarity ends there for me.

The very first time we ventured out of the UK following our move was for a trip to Paris aboard the Eurostar. It happened to be Thanksgiving weekend and we ate fish on the train which the girls felt was very wrong but c'est la vie. It was chilly in the city in November but I'm convinced there is no bad time to see Paris.

We did the typical touristy things on that first trip which included the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Notre Dame. Oh and we ate our fair share of crepes and Croque Monsieur too.

We spent a few hours one afternoon in Montmartre and the girls had their portraits drawn.

Those portraits hang in my upstairs hall and are a happy reminder of what felt like a huge adventure to us at the time.

Notre Dame is spectacular.

You climb what feels like a thousand steps to get the best views-

Of course Mr. Rule Breaker had to tap the bell.

Fyi...that's a no-no.

When my sister and niece came to visit us in the UK my niece really wanted to go to Paris. Hubs and I were discussing the possibility one evening and I was saying how a week isn't really even enough time to see London, let alone make a day trip to Paris. Hubs said, 'Yes, but how often in your life do you get to go to Paris?" Daughter2 piped up and proclaimed, 'Well, if we go with the relatives it will be my third time this year."

There are days I miss ex-pat life.

Daughter2 was on the school swim team and they had meets in Paris. She still talks about the coach making them run up the Eiffel Tower steps as part of their training. I'd post some of her pics but daughter2 loves to travel the world and take dozens of pictures of her friends up close and personal. They might be in Paris, they might be in Cairo, they might be on a Greyhound bus...you can't tell from the pictures. People are the 'thing' she wants to remember.

I have lots of Paris snaps but I'm only sharing a few and only from that first trip. That trip marked a moment in time where we circled the wagons and united firmly and completely as a family of four. Life still felt a little strange on the other side of the pond but on a cold and gray Thanksgiving weekend in the city of Paris we were given a glimpse of the opportunity that lay before us.

We saw something else too...we saw that we would need each other to successfully and happily navigate these new waters. If you have teenagers you might recognize how big that thought is. Teenagers are typically entering a stage of pulling away, not drawing near. Every city has a personality all its own and Paris is no different. And of course beauty is different things to different people but to me, Paris will always be beautiful. It was here that we stopped looking back and started looking forward.

And now, back to reality...here are the questions for this week's Hodgepodge.

See you back here tomorrow (Wednesday) to link answers~

1. What are your plans for Easter Day/weekend?

2. Besides Jesus, what one person from The Bible would you most like to meet and why?

3. What is one modern day convenience you didn't have as a child that was easy to live without?

4. Are you more right brained or left brained? If you don't know what that means there is an interesting little quiz here.

5. What is something you intended to do today but didn't? Why?

6. Cadbury Creme Eggs or Reeses peanut butter?

7. Who was your favorite cartoon character when you were a child?

8. Insert your own random thought here.