Looking Back And Springing Forward

With spring officially on the calendar it's time to re-visit my winter list, then come up with something fresh for spring. I know I don't have to make a list, but it helps

Especially if you look at it once in a while, which I need to be better about. I'll put that on my list teehee. Here's what my winter list looked like-

Read the first quarter of Grudem's Systematic Theology-Ive read not quite a quarter. The book is meaty and I don't want to rush. I've given myself the entire year to get through it which means reading approximately 89 pages each month. I'm enjoying it, savoring it really, and feel good about my progress even though I am not on page 267. Yet! 

Try a new recipe ✅...more than one actually and they were keepers. 

Try a new restaurant ✅ 

Celebrate Sugar's 2nd birthday ✅

Visit my mama ✅

Celebrate Valentine's Day ✅

Book hotel and details for wedding travel this summer ✅ so happy to have this one settled and off my brain. We're tying wedding travel in with a few days at the beach and now that it's all booked we can get excited. 

organize laundry room cabinets, bedding, and linens-question for you...how many times can you put something on a to-do list, then not do it, then move it to a new to-do list, but still not get to it ? Asking for a friend. 

shop for new bedding-I've been looking but haven't purchased 

clean out vanity, nightstand, and kitchen drawer (I know the one)-giving myself a C on this one as I did clean out my vanity, but still haven't tackled that kitchen drawer. 

hike a trail new to us ✅

see/hear live music ✅

Now to spring forward. There are some fun things to celebrate this spring and I've kept my list simple which is how I like it. No pressure. 

Except for maybe that attic and laundry room. Feeling some pressure not to add those to my summer list too. 

Do you have a seasonal-monthly-yearly-lifetime bucket list? What's something on your to-do or your want to-do list in these next three months? 

Linking today with Joanne for Talking About It Tuesdays 

Monthly mUsings

Onward in the A-Z Blog Challenge with today's letter. Today's post will also be linked with Holly and Patty's Monthly Musings party, and somehow I'm going to make it work. 

U is for Understanding

As in understanding and knowing your strengths, your limitations, your capabilities, 

and your healthy boundaries; self-awareness 

I know I should write something deep and introspective here, but instead I'm going to say I've nearly reached my limit in the A-Z Blog Challenge. And because I know myself I'm going to give myself some grace and participate in a fun monthly link up hosted by Holly and Patty (Monthly Musings) instead.

And that's okay. 

Blogging is fun for me, it serves as a stress-reliever, and a place to work things out on paper which often helps to bring clarity of mind. There's an awful lot going on here this week and because I know my limits and my capabilities,  I'm opting for something a little lighter today. 

Monthly Musings with Holly and Patty talking all things spring. Here we go...

  

1. Easter, Passover, or another holiday in the Spring? 

Easter. My favorite day of the year. We had a lovely one this year which I wrote about on Monday (The Weekend Replay).

2. Do you plant a garden? Any tips for those of us without a green thumb? 

Hubs has a green thumb, but we don't plant a garden. We have grown a few vegetables in pots, peppers mostly, but our property is wooded, pine straw-ed, and gently sloped to the lake. We don't have a nice sunny flat spot for planting a garden. 

Plus we're on the go a lot, and I feel like gardens require more daily attention in the summer months than we can give. Fortunately my daughter1's in-laws keep us supplied with fresh produce from their huge garden all summer long. 

3. How do you decorate for Spring? 

I wouldn't say I really decorate for Spring. I put out one or two things for Easter, add springtime hand towels to the bathrooms, and will usually have fresh flowers of some kind on my kitchen island. We haven't done any of our outdoor patio pots yet, but that will happen soon. Flowers on the porch say spring to me. 

We are all about the out of doors here and when you're inside your gaze naturally travels in that direction, so I'm careful not to compete. I don't add a lot of seasonal decor anytime other than Christmas. 

4. Desserts that just say spring to you? 

I think anything lemon makes a nice springtime dessert. 

I made mini carrot cakes for Easter and that felt appropriate for spring. 

A fruit tart or crumble of some kind is another favorite springtime dessert. 

5. Favorite spring flowers? 

Lilacs. But also tulips, pansies, and iris. 

6. Best tips for hosting spring events? 

I love a good theme so choosing to host around a springtime event like Easter, The Derby, Cinco de Mayo, or Mother's Day gives you a direction to run. 

I like outdoor gatherings whenever possible, but you need to plan for the weather and have both sun and shade options. And an indoor backup just in case. 

People want your company more than they want an exhausted distracted host, so let people bring something if they offer. Food doesn't have to be complicated. Light and fresh is the way to go in spring.

You can't go wrong with fresh flowers. 

7. Favorite beverage or cocktail that makes you think of Spring? 

I made my first pitcher of the sweet tea season on Easter Sunday. I live in the south and sweet tea is available everywhere here year round, but I typically don't make it at home until Easter. I'll keep a pitcher in the frig from now until probably Thanksgiving. 

Besides iced tea a glass of Rosé or Prosecco sipped on a sunny patio would be another springtime favorite. 

8. Vegetable garden, flower garden, both or neither? 

As in my own, or what do I enjoy? I love beautiful gardens and a day trip to a garden in bloom is one of my favorite kind of outings. I love to visit gardens when we travel somewhere new. I saw more than a few gardens when we lived in the UK, but there are many beautiful blooms here in the US too-

Tulip Town, Skagit Valley, Washington, 2017

9. Favorite Easter candy? 

Finally an easy one...jellybeans of course. They're my kryptonite. Been working my way through this jar for the past month. 

I won't say how many times I've topped it up. 

10. Marshmallow peeps? Gross or yes please? 

I'm somewhere in the middle on these. I like the way they look better than the way they taste, but I wouldn't say they're gross. 

I love the colors of spring, along with the flavors and scents of spring, but the pollen not so much. It makes me love spring just a little bit less than I would if we didn't have to deal with all that yellow dust. Thankfully the pollen season is nearing an end, and it's pouring rain as I type this which will help a lot. 

Happy Spring y'all! 

It May Be Time For The Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's 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. May Day! May Day!...last time you shouted for help? Or maybe just asked?

I don't think I've shouted for help lately but I'm sure I've asked. Nothing remarkable comes to mind, it was probably something like asking the hubs to carry something downstairs, or lend a hand with something in the kitchen. 

2. What's something you may do this month? 

I may get my closet cleaned out. It's overdue. 

3.  'April showers bring May flowers'...is this true where you live? What's blooming? What's your favorite springtime blossom?

This saying rings true here. We are in full springtime mode and I've got the itchy eyes and sinus headache to prove it. The pollen here is something else y'all. But there is beauty too. 

Azaleas, iris, and my lily of the valley are all in full bloom in our yard and my knock out roses are opening up too. Trees are leafed out, hydrangea will open soon, and we'll probably try to get some plants potted for the porches this weekend. 

My favorite springtime blossom? Impossible to choose but peonies and lilac rank right up there. 

4. What's something you learned at your mother's knee?

"Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you' 1 Peter 5:7

5. Share a thought about motherhood. 

Just one? I've written hundreds of words on the subject. Here's a post I wrote back in 2013, and it's a favorite-

K is for Keepers

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Happy happy Mother's Day to the momma who made me Nana-

To the soon-to-be momma...

And to my own much loved momma...

These women have helped make me who I am and are so dearly loved. 

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 461

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to share answers with the universe. See you there-

1. May Day! May Day!...last time you shouted for help? Or maybe just asked? 

2. What's something you may do this month? 

3.  'April showers bring May flowers'...is this true where you live? What's blooming? What's your favorite springtime blossom?

4. What's something you learned at your mother's knee?

5. Share a thought about motherhood. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 350

We've somehow hit volume 350 here today. That feels like something doesn't it? Raise your hand if you've been in the HP since the early days.

We're also flipping the calendar over to May so whoohoo! Our May calendar is busting at the seams, but I'll do my best to keep the Hodgepodge going this month. I may need to insert a break somewhere, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Today though we've got questions. Answer on your own blog then hop back here tomorrow to share answers with the world wide webbers. Here we go-

1. April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes. Is there a flower you associate with a particular memory? Explain.

2. Last time you helped someone? Tell us how.

3. It's National Salsa Month (the food, not the dance) so tell us, do you like salsa? Hot, medium, or mild? Homemade, store bought, or from your favorite restaurant only?

4. When I was twelve years old...

5. It's the first of May so let's run with it-first things first, don't know the first thing about it, first dibs on something, first impression, first rate, first cousin, first string, first come first served, at first light-which phrase can best be applied to something in your life currently or even recently?

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Rolling Into May

Hello whoever is reading here today. Is anyone still reading here? Is anyone still writing here? Ha! It's not that interesting, but I'm glad you've stuck around.

We had a nice weekend. Hubs was traveling last week so Friday night was a wash. He didn't get home from the airport until almost 9 PM which is practically my bedtime so, like I said, 'not that interesting'.

Saturday morning we made our first spring trip to the local plant nursery. Raise your hand if your eyes are bigger than your gardening skills. I just love all the pretty things, including two pillows and three botanical prints which I know are technically not plants. They do add beauty to a space though, and now they're mine.

I've been looking for cute pillows for my covered deck and I love the color and the pattern on these.

This wall in my kitchen has been waiting for the exact right something and I feel like these prints are that something. Never mind how many holes went into my freshly painted walls to get these where I thought they needed to be. Hubs was not a happy camper, but the prints cover all the tries so calling it a win.

Daughter2 and her boyfriend and our favorite greyhound came over after lunch and we took a boat ride. Wonderful while you're moving, but we stopped by a friend's dock for a quick hello and the humidity about killed me. I won't even mention what it does to my hair! Plan on seeing me in a ponytail and ball cap from now until October.

Isn't she just the cutest? I can hardly stand it.

The boys had just enough time for a quick game of corn hole while I got dinner on the table. I'd fixed BBQ in the crock pot with all the fixin's (that's baked beans and cole slaw for those not in the know) and it was yummy. Note to self-use the crock pot this summer so you're not a slave to the kitchen while everyone else is out having fun.

I took this pic from our screened porch. Our lower level driveway makes the perfect court.

You've heard of a pool shark? Well Daughter2's boyfriend is the equivalent in corn hole, but I'm going to beat him before summer's end. Gauntlet thrown.

After church on Sunday hubs and I made a run to Home Depot to pick up a screen and also odds and ends we forgot to buy at the nursery on Saturday, namely new garden gloves for me and fertilizer for our freshly potted plants.

This is so not interesting, but let's carry on.

Raise your hand if you spend a bajillion dollars at the nursery every single weekend from May -October? I love all the patios, decks, porches, and assorted outdoor spaces we have here, but it's gonna take a lot more pots than we've currently got on hand to make it look lush.

Question-does it need to look lush when all you really care about is the lake right in front of you?

Some friends invited us to drop by Sunday afternoon and we decided it was an MG kind of day. I haven't ridden in the MG since we left NJ, and I'd kind of forgotten how much I love it. Perfect convertible weather too-

FYI-convertible hair and lake hair have much in common.

We spent a fun few hours on their deck beside the water, and more friends dropped by, and then more friends dropped by, and before you knew it the clock read 7 PM and I was re-thinking my dinner menu. Re-thinking is code for, 'Do I really have to cook dinner???' Hubs read my mind, so we had ham and cheese sandwiches on the deck and turns out that was the perfect way to wrap up an end of April weekend.

So what interesting or not so interesting things did you do as the calendar rolled towards May?    

Tiptoe Through The Tulips

So way back when-April 2, 2014 to be exact-while blissfully living in Northern NJ, with hubs still hard at work for the company who'd employed him nearly three decades, and Daughter1 a single girl working in the nation's capital, one week away from becoming engaged, and Daughter2 wrapping up her first official year as teacher, I asked this question in the Wednesday Hodgepodge-

'Several spring flower festivals happen in the US during the month of April. Of those listed which would you most like to see in person...The Skagit Tulip Festival in Skagit Washington, The Dogwood Arts Festival in Knoxville Tennessee, The North Carolina Azalea Festival in Wilmington North Carolina, or Daffodil Festival Weekend on Nantucket Island Massachusetts?'

And this was my answer-

 'I'd be happy to see any or all of them, but if I'm forced to choose I'm going with The Skagit Tulip Festival. Tulips are one of my favorite flowers, and seeing the Northwest corner of the US is on my travel wish list.'

Well. That's something isn't it? 

Guess where I was last Tuesday? 

April 12, 2017 to be exact. 

My daughter had to get married and move to Washington to make it happen, which wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I said it, but here we are. Life is filled with unexpected adventure and plot twists, and I'm learning more embracing-less resisting, as they come my way.

The Skagit Valley is about sixty miles north of Seattle and roughly sixty miles south of Vancouver. I've never visited my daughter in April so when we decided to come she suggested we go see the tulips. She'd been following the 'flowers' on Instagram and as it happens we were going to be in the Evergreen State peak week.

We also studied the weather the week before because the weather!! Tuesday looked like our best bet (aka no rain until late day) so we made a plan for Tuesday. That plan included a stop at her local donut shop because donuts are Daughter2's love language and we had a two hour car ride ahead of us.

Seattle is a little bit like Atlanta in that you plan your life around the traffic. We got on the road at 8:30 and were in the Valley a little before 11. Easy peasy. It pays to plan. Usually.

You pass fields of tulips once you're in the area, which you can't miss if you're looking out the window, but there are also a couple of well known farms and we opted for one of those called Tulip Town. We navigated the parking and paid a small entry fee to go inside.

Which is really outside, but whatever.

There's a small shop, tulips for sale by the bulb, bunch, or pot, and a cafe. We did not eat in the cafe because we wanted to spend all our time in the tulips and be back on the road before Seattle late afternoon rush hour.

It was worth it.

We spent a couple of happy hours wandering around the farm, oohing and ahhing and saying 'that's my favorite color'...'no that's my favorite color'...long story short-they're ALL my favorite color.  As a bonus, the area around the farm is gorgeous, and you wander the fields while the Cascade Mountains and magnificent Mt. Baker look over your shoulder.  Mt. Baker is Washington's northernmost volcano, and one of the snowiest places on earth.

We were thankful to be there on a sunny day as the fields were still quite muddy from all the recent rains. Also, we visited on a weekday so it wasn't too crowded. I imagine the weekends tell a different story, and we did have some traffic coming through town which I'm sure amps up on Saturdays.

Is there anything so lovely as a tulip?

If you find yourself in the Seattle area in mid-April I recommend a day here...

And if you want a truly perfect day, bring your favorite people. 

Spring Break

If you're looking for the Hodgepodge questions, scroll on down to the earlier post. 

I had a fun spring break, spent with both daughters out in Washington State. Question-is it still called spring break when you're no longer a student, no longer have students living at home, and you're not working outside the home?

Well, it is spring, and I did take a break from everyday life here so yes, I'm going with it. Spring Break! Whoohoo! Everybody needs one!

Washington State in mid-April is cold, and while I know cold is a relative thing, I live in the mostly sunny southland and am out of practice waking up to 30 degree temps this time of year. I spent most of the week wearing my winter gloves and a rain jacket over my fleece. The gray white skies of the Pacific Northwest remind me of England, except at least with English weather you're in England.

I had my girls with me though, and they bring their own brand of sunshine to my days so not complaining.

We trekked to Ikea on Day 1 to source out a closet system for the baby nursery. I haven't been to Ikea since I lived in the UK and as we pulled in I suddenly remembered my least favorite thing about that store-the parking!! Oh my word! They'd built a brand new showroom right beside the old showroom and were still in the process of demolishing the old to make room for more parking. In the meantime we parked in Canada.

You know what the great thing is about hanging out with your grown up daughters? You can have fun even in the middle of parking lot chaos and aggravation.

After successfully snagging the appropriate closet pieces we made our way back towards the Base to pick up groceries at the commissary and to try and find some cheap rain boots at the P.X. We were waylaid en route to the boots by a whole department of precious baby boy clothes, and ended up leaving with six outfits and no rain boots. I'm calling that a win.

his aunt, the shark expert...how could she not buy this?

Tuesday we spent the day in tulip country and I'll save that recap for Thursday's post because I might have taken a few hundred pictures. ahem.

We wore out the baby mama with all the driving and shopping on Monday and Tuesday, so on Wednesday we slept in, stuck close to home, and saw Beauty and the Beast that afternoon.

My girls hadn't seen it yet, and I was so happy to see it again with them. We all loved it.

The rest of the week passed in a blur, as spring break so often does. We took long walks and talks with the pup beside us and Mt. Rainier behind us.

We ordered the crib and dresser for the nursery, played lots of our favorite board game (Ticket to Ride), worked a jigsaw puzzle (the dog made it a teensy bit more difficult by helping himself to three! pieces).

We enjoyed a lovely leisurely lunch beside the water at the famous Dukes Chowder House-

read sweet stories to the baby boy-

and read piles of our own books too. My teacher daughter read five that week, a real treat as she doesn't get to read much for pleasure during the school year.

Best of all, we accompanied baby boy's mama to the doctor where we got to hear his heart beating loud and strong. So special!

We left Saturday morning knowing next time we're here we'll be welcoming a brand new little love into our family. Daughter2 and I spent all day flying west to south, navigated our way out of Atlanta without too much difficulty (traveling at 8:30 PM helps), and got back to the lake close to midnight.

We woke up to a gorgeous Easter morning.

While I was away our Adirondack chairs were delivered so after church we sat beside the water sipping coffee while our lunch warmed in the oven. For those of you wondering, I got smart and ordered myself a Honey Baked Ham dinner which was perfect. All I had to do was warm everything up, but we still could eat on china in our dining room.

We wrapped up the day with grateful hearts and an Easter evening boat ride.

"No winter lasts forever; no spring skips it's turn."~Hal Borland