A Love-ly Hodgepodge

Love is in the air in 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 love-ly comment for the blogger before you. Here we go- 

1. Did you watch the Super Bowl? Did your team win? What's your favorite game day snack for  whatever sport is happening? 

I did watch the Super Bowl. Truthfully I slept through a fair chunk of the third quarter, but was really happy with the win. I grew up just across the bridge from Philly and the Eagles are my team. Hubs grilled wings and brats for dinner before the game and they were so good. My favorite game day snack would probably be nachos, which were not on the menu but are still my fave. 

2. What's your 'superpower'? 

Napping? Loading the dishwasher? 

3. Will you do anything special on Valentine's Day? If so do share. Any thoughts on/about this particular holiday? Share a favorite verse or quote relating to love. 

Daughter1 is in a wedding Valentine's Day weekend, one that requires travel, so we'll be home manning the fort. And by fort I mean the grands. We were invited to the wedding as the bride is a college friend of my daughter's, a sorority sister, and she was also her roommate in DC after college so we know and love her.

We decided to let the 'kids' have a weekend away and just enjoy their time together without us tagging along too. Also, we're tired and not up for another road trip at the moment. I'm sure staying home with the grands won't be tiring at all.  

A favorite verse-'For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.' Romans 8:38-39

4. Are you a fan of the rom-com genre? If so what's one of your favorites? If you're not a movie go-er then what about a book you love that features a great love story? How about a favorite love song? 

I like a rom-com now and then, but prefer legal thrillers, mysteries, or drama more. My favorite rom-coms are Sweet Home Alabama and When Harry Met Sally. There are probably others, but those two popped in to my head first. 

Books-The Thorn Birds would be one of my favorite love stories. 

Love Song-well there's no way I could pick just one. A few favorites are-More Today Than Yesterday by Spiral Staircase, Love Will Keep Us Alive by The Eagles, Everything by Michael Buble, How Deep Is Your Love by The Bee Gees, and for me and the hubs especially I Love You by Climax Blues Band. 

5. Let's get creative...write an acrostic using the word L-O-V-E. 

L-love is lots of things, including patient and kind

O-it offends not

V-values the other more than oneself

E-and endures all things

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We had our wine club dinner Tuesday evening and it was as usual delish. One of the courses was filet tartare with tomato short rib stock, soy cured egg yolk and pickled vegetables. Have you ever tried tartare, and if so what did you think? 

When we lived in North Jersey hubs and I used to go in to the city and we would sometimes go to Sardis and order their tartar. It was served on a fancy platter with all kinds of garnishes and was so good. 

While I neglected to snap a photo of the tartare I did manage a picture of dessert. Priorities, right? Dessert was a hazelnut crunch bar with nutella drizzle and whipped cream. Yum! 

Thanks for joining in today...happy Wednesday and happy heart day! 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 589

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here on Wednesday (Feb 12th) to add your link and share the love. See you there!  

1. Did you watch the Super Bowl? Did your team win? What's your favorite game day snack for  whatever sport is happening? 

2. What's your 'superpower'? 

3. Will you do anything special on Valentine's Day? If so do share. Any thoughts on/about this particular holiday? Share a favorite verse or quote relating to love. 

4. Are you a fan of the rom-com genre? If so what's one of your favorites? If you're not a movie go-er then what about a book you love that features a great love story? How about a favorite love song? 

5. Let's get creative...write an acrostic using the word L-O-V-E. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Matters Of No Great Importance

Which is more or less the theme of my blog, and I guess that's okay. Ordinary gets a bad rap but how would we define extraordinary if not for all the in-between ordinary? 

We've pretty much just been livin' life here in the neighborhood. Hubs and I took a couple of pretty hikes over the weekend and the little brown dog was in his glory. 

He makes life feel less ordinary. 

Don't get excited. It's just a sign. 

Saturday morning we were enjoying a nice walk through a nearby park when we stopped for a water break. That's when we discovered the pup's paw was bleeding profusely, so we quickly loaded him up (literally) for the trek back to the car and a stop at the vet before they closed. 

He'd ripped a toenail but never yelped or cried, just carried on in his efforts to get to the river. It was fast moving so we didn't want him to swim but he was definitely trying to find a way around us. 

Anyway, hubs ended up carrying him about a half mile and we met another couple coming in to the trail who said they had a first aid kit in their car, so they very kindly walked back up to the parking lot with us and helped us get his foot wrapped.We normally have a first aid kit in the backpack but neglected to grab it before we left the house. 

People are nice. Mostly. I know not everyone, but in general the people we encounter while going about our everyday lives are nice. 

We made it to the vet's office just before they closed and a mere $400something dollars later our pup was right as rain. Actually since we were there they refilled his arthritis meds for three months and did his heartworm check too, so technically the injury we came in for was just a teeny tiny part of the bill. 

Dog ownership is not for the faint of heart, but we love him. 

Sunday night hubs grilled duck jalapeno poppers to have while we watched the Superbowl, and they were delish. Boursin cheese and Benton's bacon made them extra so. 

I grew up in the Philly area so we were definitely rooting for an Eagles win. My sister sent me this picture of my momma at a party with my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew, all cheering on the hometown team. 

We didn't win, but my mom looks awfully cute. 

I've been doing a fair amount of reading and just finished our book club selection for this month-The Rose Code by Kate Quinn. I'd give you my review but our book club meets tomorrow and a few of the members read my blog so I think I'll save it. I've also been listening to a biography of Prince Philip (which if you read The Rose Code you know it ties in) and I'm really enjoying that one. (Prince Philip's Century 1921-2021: The Extraordinary Life Of The Duke Of Edinburgh by Robert Jobson). He was a very interesting man with a difficult childhood he dealt with mostly by, in his words, 'well you just get on with things, what else can you do?'.  

I feel like we don't do a lot of getting on with things anymore. 

Not an entirely bad thing, but not entirely good either.  

In case anyone is keeping track hubs and I are still listening to Napolean. I think we started this one back in July on our road trip north. In our defense we haven't been on any more long car trips recently and that's mostly when we listen. Also, the book is 976 pages long which means the audible version is over 36 hours. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea but we've both enjoyed it and learned a lot. 

Wait! I do have something that is (thankfully!) out of the ordinary and it's this-

A week ago Friday hubs and I were at a birthday party for a friend. We came home and hubs took the dog out and immediately came back inside asking if we'd had a package delivery or WHAT IN THE WORLD!! SOMEONE HAS DRIVEN ACROSS OUR FRONT YARD!!

Bother. Bother bother bother. 

We don't live on a cut through street and we're near the very end of the road where the cul de sac begins.  Our driveway is long too so this was no easy feat. A camera caught the whole event, and long story short(ish) the driver was looking for a house two down from ours, it was really dark, she was extremely distressed about some personal goings on, and I guess just panicked when she mistakenly came down our drive. 

Did I mention hubs likes to keep our grass looking like Augusta? True story. 

Not sure why she turned into the yard as there is plenty of room to turn around in the drive, but she did and that's that. She was extremely apologetic and of course offered to pay for repairs but hubs told her no need, it's not a big deal. 

I mean it is a big deal, but it's not a big expensive deal. Hubs has been wanting to sand the whole front yard to level it in a few places ever since we moved in and I've been saying it's unnecessary. Except now I guess it's necessary and he's not mad about it lol. 

So that's a peek into goings on here lately. 

'There isn't any such thing as an ordinary life.' L.M. Montgomery

Super Fun

Weekends leave a little something to be desired these days, wouldn't you agree? Feels like we've been walking through sludge for a while now, and February isn't helping.  

We're mostly still doing a lot of nothing here and like most everyone we're tired of it. Bored with it. Ready to rejoin the party except there's still no party to rejoin. Which is why I blog about the weather and what's on the grill and the ongoing saga of our television service. 

We did have a very small snowfall Saturday night and that was a little bit exciting. Relatively speaking of course. Parts of the lake had more, but just a dusting here. 

Did you watch the Superbowl? We sorta kinda watched a snippet here and there, but honestly were not the least bit invested in the outcome. We have not watched a single NFL game this year because we are over the NFL, but I love Eric Church and wanted to see him sing the National Anthem. He's country and this was to be a duet with a more hip hop/R & B singer (Jazmine Sullivan) so I was nervous. I hate when singers mess with the anthem and the potential for that felt large with this combo. 

Course by the time we got the tv connected (!!!) team captains were already mid-field doing the coin toss and we missed it. 

Remember when something annoyed us and we'd just say 2020 and roll our eyes and everyone knew what we meant?  Saying 2021 is not nearly as satisfying. 

Anyway, I did go watch a clip of the anthem on youtube and based on comments I'd read was prepared not to like their version, but I actually loved it. They only messed with it a little, plus that sign language interpreter was fantastic and brought a big dose of happy to the whole thing. 

This boy loves my popcorn maker more than even I do and that's saying something. He watches this machine like a hawk-

 

In other Superbowl food news hubs decided to grill wings, a skill he has completely mastered-

We invited our next door neighbors over to share and ended up talking, laughing, not really watching the game, and playing pool until midnight. The girls won which isn't important but does feel worthy of a mention, and the whole evening was so much fun I forgot for a minute it wasn't a party. 

Remember fun? In 2021 I think we have to make our own. 

And so we do.

Cheering For The Hodgepodge

So here we are, another week gone by, and no blogging except Hodgepodge blogging. Some weeks are like that and I'm trying not to let it bother me.

I'm only slightly successful.

Let's carry on anyway. If you've answered this week's questions add your blog link at the end of my post then leave a comment for the blogger before you.

1. February can be a little bit tricky given the weather and the winter and the whatnot. I read a list (here) of things you can do to make your February brighter which included-start planning your next trip, take more baths, make your own chocolate covered strawberries, and exercise in preparation for swimsuit season. Anything on the list you might try? Which suggestion on the list appeals to you most? Tell us something not on the list that helps make your February brighter.

Well I am all about soaking in a hot bath and planning my next trip so those two things are on my February list for sure. I love strawberries and I love chocolate, but I'm not really a fan of making my own chocolate covered strawberries. They're not my favorite treat and they're so messy, both the making and the eating. Exercising should be on my list, but will it make the month brighter? Hmmm....

Something not on the list? I'm going to say buy a fun springtime top, bag, or shoes, even a new lipstick...something to look forward to wearing once winter makes her exit. 

2. Tell us about something you've seen or done recently that you'd say was 'super'?

How 'bout those Philadelphia Eagles winning the Super Bowl?! Yay for the hometown team! Plus I really enjoyed all the back stories of this particular group of players. 

3. Best thing you ate in a 'bowl' last week?

I made a pasta dish last week I had kind of forgotten about and consequently hadn't made in ages. I know I used to make this recipe pretty often, but guess we tired of it so I took it out of rotation. It's light as far as pasta goes-chicken, red pepper, squash, zucchini and black olives in a lemon-garlic sauce. My daughter2 had come for dinner that evening and we all loved it.  

4. Something you're 'cheering' for right now?

I'm going to say teachers. My daughter has shared a couple of things with me recently that just make me want to stand up and cheer for all the teachers out there who are full of compassion and care so deeply for the students in their classrooms outside of their classrooms. 

5. The Winter Olympics begin Friday, February 9th in Pyeong Chang, South Korea. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being all in and 1 being no interest whatsoever) how interested are you in the games? Which event do you most want to see (you'll find a list here).

I do like watching the Olympics, summer and winter both. I'm not glued to the TV 24/7, but I'll watch some coverage most evenings, so will give myself an 8. My favorites are probably downhill skiing and the ski jump. It amazes me there are people who literally fly on a pair of skis. 

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

In honor of the Olympics throwing it back to a trip we made to Austria in 2006. We won't even talk about these cutie patooties who were in high school still. HIGH SCHOOL!! 

We took an elevator to the top of the ski jump in Innsbruck, looked over,  felt a little dizzy...

...well I felt dizzy, hubs contemplated giving it a try (you can't-there's glass in front), and then said a prayer for all the mamas of ski jumpers everywhere. 

I don't know anything about skiing in South Korea, but imagine it will be beautiful too. 

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 340

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. February can be a little bit tricky given the weather and the winter and the whatnot. I read a list (here) of things you can do to make your February brighter which included-start planning your next trip, take more baths, make your own chocolate covered strawberries, and exercise in preparation for swimsuit season. Anything on the list you might try? Which suggestion on the list appeals to you most? Tell us something not on the list that helps make your February brighter.

2. Tell us about something you've seen or done recently that you'd say was 'super'?

3. Best thing you ate in a 'bowl' last week?

4. Something you're 'cheering' for right now?

5. The Winter Olympics begin Friday, February 9th in Pyeong Chang, South Korea. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being all in and 1 being no interest whatsoever) how interested are you in the games? Which event do you most want to see (you'll find a list here).

6. Insert your own random thought here.
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Monday Morning Quarterbacking

I don't have a lot to say today because we pretty much did nothing over the weekend. Oh, and it was also glorious. Sometimes nothing is everything you need.

Did you watch the Superbowl? We watched, right down to that last painful minute when the Patriots pulled out a win. None of my teams were in the Superbowl this year, but I can still get all wound up about a game. I found myself feeling a little bit sorry for Tom Brady the first half of the game, then heartbroken for the Falcons when it was all over.

I will say I didn't think there were any really fabulous ads this year, but I did love the Raggedy Old Flag bit they played pre-game. I'm glad politics stayed mostly out of the Superbowl and it felt like the country came together for about five minutes yesterday.

And props to Lady Gaga for dangling above the stadium and for singing live and for inspiring me to work out today-ha!

I haven't said too much about the house lately and that's mostly because we moved in mid-November, then BAM! Thanksgiving rolled in along with some company, then it was pretty much time to think about Christmas, then hubs and I traveled the entire month of January, arriving home on Tuesday, with company here on Wednesday, then they left Friday morning, then more company came Friday evening, then they left Sunday, then I collapsed on the couch for a week in an effort to get over the horrendous cough hubs shared with me, and now here we are Monday.

Which is why I haven't talked much about the house or posted pics of the finished product. Ain't nobody got time for that!

I'm blogging from our home office on this Monday morning, and it needs help y'all. Actually I call this room the library because we had floor to ceiling bookshelves built in, but mostly right now it looks like I'm readying for a jumble sale. All the 'jumble' is behind the desk and if I sit just so at the computer I can see the lake but not the piles. That strategy has been working for me up till now, but I guess this is the week I deal.

The piles are mostly photos (yep, still an issue in my life) and there's also an abundance of throw pillows that don't quite fit anywhere in the house, but that I can't part with either. And there's framed artwork and photographs that either need re-framing, re-matting, or a new home with Goodwill. Somebody's got to decide and it looks like that somebody is me only I'm easily distracted.

What distracts me? How pretty the view is right outside my window. Thoughts of summertime. Paperwork. Planning how best to spoil my grandchild. A baby shower brunch happening here next month. Thinking about Daughter2s pup who is still sick with we don't know what. Income taxes. What I'm fixing for dinner. Still need to think up this week's Hodgepodge questions. Laundry. An email I need to send. An appointment I need to re-schedule. The book I'm reading.

It's not just me, is it?

Okay, nose to the grindstone and all that. I will leave you with a picture I snapped on Wednesday morning. The early bird definitely catches the wormsunrise round here.

Now if only the early bird could keep that momentum going past noon.
She's going to try!

Black Monday

That's what they call the day after the Superbowl, right? Ay yi yi, what a heartbreaker that turned out to be. Unless you were rooting for Seattle, of course. I realized last night, while sitting with my stomach clenched and my eyes turned away for much of the game, that I am not cut out to be the mother of a professional athlete. Pretty sure watching the Olympics will confirm that.

We were out of town this weekend, and arrived home mere minutes before the National Anthem was sung. Now that was a highlight. Renee Fleming was fabulous, and I absolutely loved the fly over.  I like when the anthem is sung as written, without a lot of curly cues, and runs and riffs, or whatever you call the nonsense so many celebs like to add to make it more about them, and less about our nation. I'm also a big fan of Bruno Mars, and his halftime show did not disappoint.

We spent the weekend with hubs sister and brother in law, and their two boys, which is always a lot of fun. My brother in law is a very talented musician, and they had a house concert so we trekked to Maryland to hear him play.

I had to drive the whole way there, because hubs was literally on the phone the entire four+ hours. Literally. Not exaggerating even a little. I kind of wanted to fling the phone out the window, but I resisted. He may have wanted to fling it out the window too.

We've made this trip many times, but for some reason there is one spot in the journey where we always look at each other and ask if we're on the right road? Is this right? Does this look familiar? Do we go through the city? Didn't we go around last time? Rest assured we were on the right road, but there is always a moment of panic as we scramble to figure it out. Usually a U-turn too, ahem. And hubs would probably say the panic is all me, but whatever, we made it.

Saturday we hung out, ran some errands in preparation for their party, dined at Chipoltle, and listened to the boys explain the finer points of Java script and computer coding. It is in moments like these I realize the gap in technology knowledge between our generations is gargantuan. I'm glad there are smart kids coming up to create the next wave of stuff we can't live without. Glad they can walk me through the steps to use it too!

Hubs brother1 and his wife arrived late afternoon Saturday, and we haven't seen them in a long while so it was nice to catch up in person. I didn't take many pictures, but did snap one of the hubs with his brother and sister. No matter how big the 'kids' get, mothers never tire of photos like this one. Hubs brother2 was on a work trip, so missed the music this time around. It was a lovely evening.

So it's snowing here.  

Just thought you should know.

I have a million things going on this week, including but not limited to, putting away my Snow Village. Don't judge! It's still technically winter, so I feel perfectly fine leaving it out longpast the holidays. I realized yesterday though, that it's suddenly February and spring will be here soon (HA!) so I guess it's time.  

Merry Christmas everyone! 

Slice Of Life

So here it is Friday again, another quiet week. Even quiet weeks have fragments worth capturing. In the middle of a polar vortex it's important to enjoy the small things.

First...this cardinal-

Is there anything more lovely on a hum drum January day than a bright red cardinal posed against the naked forest? Add a bright blue sky and a snowy backdrop and it's very near perfection. There's a female lurking too, but her camo prevents me from capturing her at a distance.

I was at a distance.
It was 3 degrees so shooting from my kitchen window was good enough.

When I see a cardinal this time of year, the red so vibrant against a leafless branch, it's as if God is reminding me not to be a worrier. I watch this gorgeous bird from the warmth of my kitchen and think of the verse in Matthew 6 that says, 'Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you more valuable to Him than they are?"  (NLT)

I'm glad there are seasons... in nature and in life.

Daughter1 was home last weekend, and we had such a nice day on Monday. We enjoyed a long leisurely lunch, and solved all manner of the world's problems. Long leisurely lunches with grown up girls makes my list of favorite things.

Tuesday we had us a little snow, somewhere around 6-8 inches. My bible study was cancelled, and although hubs did make it to the office, he came home early to get ahead of the worst of it. The snow was the super soft variety and so pretty!  Still not tired of it.

Wednesday hubs worked from home, which is another way of saying he set himself up in the middle of the kitchen island, and proceeded to conduct one conference call after another. Not inconvenient at all-ha!

Actually I didn't really mind. It was the push I needed to tackle the great office file clean out of 2013, which somehow was overlooked in 2013, so in reality is now the great office file clean out of 2014. Still not done, but close. I'm easily distracted.

Yesterday I had my hair cut and highlighted which pretty much means this week was awesome.

And here we are, back to Friday. My gourmet group met for lunch today, and our theme was 'eating by number'. All the recipes had a number in their name, and everything was delish, most especially the 5-ingredient no bake peanut butter bars. Oh my! I probably should not have tasted those.

I made a five-spice green bean recipe which was just okay. The 5-spice seasoning is really strong, a little heavy on the anise flavor which isn't my favorite. On the bright side though, my house smells a lot like Christmas.

Now on to the weekend, where once again we have snow heading our way. I heard one weatherman say, "...we won't even mention the Superbowl forecast just yet..."

Ruh-roh.

I don't think you needed to be a weatherman to predict a February Superbowl played in New Jersey as a risky proposition.  

And yes, the Superbowl is in fact being played in New Jersey, not New York. As a resident of The Garden State I feel it's my duty to insert that piece of sports trivia here, because apparently the lack of respect our little state is getting is annoying a whole lotta people. I say this is what happens when sports teams with one state name in their moniker play all their games in a stadium that sits in a whole 'nother state.

New York? New Jersey? Either way it's gonna be a cold one!

For more Friday Fragments hop over to Half Past Kissin' Time.  Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Ten Pin Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge! We're tucked in under a blanket of fallen snow and frigid temps, perfect weather for hodgepodging.  Add your link at the bottom of my post and then go a-visiting.  Here are my answers to this week's questions-

1. It was decided on Sunday the Denver Broncos will meet the Seattle Seahawks in this year's Superbowl.  So, when was the last time you bowled?  Not where you thought this question was going is it? Do you like to bowl? Are you any good?

Go Broncos! I do like to bowl, but it's not something I do very often, nor am I very good at it. Unless of course we're talking Wii bowling, because I rock the Wii bowling.  I'm not terrible at 'real' bowling, but I think its one of those things you need to do on a regular basis if you want to excel.  

2. Should sports stars be role models?

Hmmm...should Miley Cyrus or the Kardashians, or any celebrity for that matter? Regardless of whether they should be role models, people who choose to be in the public eye are role models. Children (adults too!) admire and look up to sports figures, and often aspire to be like them in some way.  

I hope sports figures recognize the power they have to set a good example in terms of fair play, hard work, kindness, generosity, compassion, etc, but they're only human, and we humans let ourselves down on a regular basis. Sadly in today's world, if you're in the spotlight and you stumble, the media will eat you alive. 

3. January is National Oatmeal month...are you a fan?  How do you like your oats?

I'm a fan, and I like mine with sliced bananas and dried cherries stirred into the pot, topped with a splash of cold skim milk. I don't like warm milk on my oatmeal. I also have a really good recipe for crockpot oatmeal made with diced apples. The apples get all gooey and delicious.  I will dig it out and share.  

4. What is one book on your reading list for 2014?

I have a long list of books to read in 2014. Are you on Goodreads?  If so let me know and we can be friends there. It's a great place to find new titles, see what your friends are reading, and keep track of books you want to read in the future. 

One title on my 2014 list is this-

In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors by Doug Stanton

5. What would you like your future self to say to your present self?

You did it! 

6. When scrolling through the TV guide, what is one movie title that makes you want to stop, grab the popcorn, and watch for a while?

The Rookie (the baseball movie with Dennis Quaid, not the police drama with Clint Eastwood) and Sweet Home Alabama.  I'm a sucker for Sweet Home Alabama.  Hubs would say The Patriot, The Hunt for Red October, and Dances with Wolves.  He was the inspiration for this question. 

7. What are two style trends you hope never come back into fashion?

High waisted jeans and track suits. 
Can you tell I lived through the 90's? 

We were looking at some old pictures recently and my girls commented on how everyone was in track suits. In case you're wondering, we were not running track. I guess they were kind of the yoga pants of the late 80's/early 90's only they swished when you walked. Yikes! 

I wore high waisted jeans, belted no less, back in that same time period too.  Never mind that I was skinny...I don't think that's a good look on anyone. I think women of all sizes look better with trousers just below the waist as opposed to right on the waist.  

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Crockpot Apple Oatmeal

2 cups milk (you can sub almond or coconut milk if you prefer)
2 T honey
1 T butter (no substitute)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup dry old-fashioned oats
1 cup apples (peeled and sliced or cubed)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
2 T brown sugar (I omitted this, and it was plenty sweet)

Mix together all ingredients and place in a greased crock pot (or use a liner). Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours.  If you have a newer crock pot with a warm setting, use that instead of low, and cook 7-9 hours. 

I've looked at similar recipes,and you can add a bit more liquid if you're going to need to leave it longer than the 5 -6 hours, but don't have a warm setting on your crockpot.  I've also done this recipe on the stove, but cooked the apples down a bit before adding to the pot. Enjoy!

Ho-Hum, Another Weekend

There's an expression you don't hear too often anymore...ho-hum.  I'm pretty sure if you check the dictionary for a definition you'll find the words 'January weekends' written beside it.

Wait, it's February, isn't it?
Why does it still feel like January?

On Saturday we trekked to Home Depot in an attempt to replace three of the approximately seven million CO detectors in our house that were dying slow and painfully annoying deaths.  Seven million may be a slight exaggeration, but not by much.  I know the law now requires smoke and CO detectors in all new construction, but I'm not sure if it specifies how many.  We have over a dozen in our house, and the three CO detectors upstairs all died last week.  It says right on the device you need to replace them every seven years so it was time.  When the previous homeowners installed the originals they put big giant nails in the wall to attach them.

Whyyyyyy???

We were hoping to find replacements with the same hole spacing on back as the ones we were replacing, but no such luck.  Do you know how many options there are for smoke and CO2 detectors?  It made my brain hurt.  Ho-hum.

Afterwards we spent an interminable amount of time in GNC while hubs looked at the eight thousand varieties of protein powder of some such nonsense.  I distracted myself by repeatedly taking my blood pressure in the free checker outside the store. Ho-hum.

It was still early afternoon so we decided as long as we were out we'd see a movie-Silver Linings Playbook with Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence (or Katniss Everdeen as I like to call her, but I digress). We didn't know anything about it before we went in, but we both really liked it a lot.  The film and both leading actors have been nominated for Oscars this year and I always like to see the nominated pics.  I don't think they'll win, but the movie was good.  Of the nominated films we've seen Life of Pi, Lincoln, Les Mis, Argo and Silver Linings Playbook.  I really liked them all, but my pick is Argo.  Not even a little bit ho-hum.

We had plans to meet friends for dinner on Saturday evening.  They live about a half hour from here, on top of another mountain which normally isn't a big deal, but of course it started to snow about an hour before we needed to leave.  We braved it and went anyway and we were fine.  They salt the roads to excess here (not complaining!) and they also spray something on the roads that leaves white lines and makes them less slick, so most of the time you can get out when it snows.  We went to a little Mexican place and had a wonderful meal and a great time catching up.  It was not ho-hum, although maybe reading about it is. Ha!

Sunday evening was dedicated to football watching. What a crazy game!  Did anyone else find the lights going out after half time a little depressing?  It felt like some sort of metaphor for America in 2013, but I won't go there today.

The game was pretty ho-hum prior to half time, but it definitely got interesting after. Yowza-that was a nail biter! I thought most of the commercials were just ho-hum, but I did love the Bud ad featuring the Clydesdales. They never fail to tug at my heartstrings and make me smile. My favorite ad was the one from Chrysler featuring Paul Harvey in a voice over about America's farmers.

Gosh I miss the quiet wisdom of Paul Harvey. Raise your hand if you think America could use a heaping helping of quiet wisdom right about now. We're more like resounding gongs and clanging cymbals which I find completely exhausting.

Back to the ho-hum...we stayed home to watch the game, sat on our comfy couch, ate fabulous chili we'd simmered all afternoon, and were happy to see the Ravens win, even if they did make us squirm in our seats until the final two minutes of the game.

What did you think of the halftime show? Ho-hum? I can think of a lot of words to describe it, but ho-hum would not be among them. I've been married close to 30 years, and I'm (almost) old enough to be Beyonce's mother, but that doesn't stop me from singing along to Single Ladies.

Also, I'd like a day with her personal trainer.
Just sayin'

So that was the weekend.
Like I said, ho--hum.

We do have  a couple of fun things on our February calendar and I'm glad. I don't know about you, but this time of year I need to have something to look forward to. I feel like I spent the biggest part of January on the couch, which couldn't be helped, but still...I'm not really a sit around kind of girl.

I'm thankful for the lovely ho-hum days of ordinary life.
Thankful too for a sprinkling of extraordinary when ho-hum just won't do.

More Than Just A Game

*I've edited this post to link with Flashback Friday, hosted by Martha at Seaside Simplicitiy.  Hop over to Marth's blog to add your own Friday Flashback.  

So did you hear there's a big game this weekend?  People seem to fall into one of four categories when it comes to the Superbowl...

a. they're die hard fans of any game involving the pigskin and will watch no matter who's playing  

b. they're loyal to a particular team in the final match up so they're excited to watch  

c. they like a party and great appetizers so if you've got dip they're in, and 

d. football? blech! I'll be watching NCIS reruns in the other room

Where do you fall in the fan kingdom?

I guess in our house we land somewhere between a and b. We'll pretty much watch any game up to a point, but we definitely have our loyalties when it comes to particular teams and players. Now that I think about it, our loyalties might lie less with the team and more with the city they represent and the chunk of our lives we associate with that city.

Go Ravens!

When I was growing up the team from Baltimore was known as the Colts. In 1984 their owner moved that team in the dark of night (literally) to Indianapolis, where they remain to this day. Not in the Superbowl, but I digress. Marylanders were not at all happy, but I didn't care so much back in 1984 because I was an Eagles fan and didn't follow the Baltimore teams.

This isn't confusing is it?

I grew up outside of Philly and will always and forever think of the Eagles as 'my hometown team', but...there's a but....when you move as much as I have you discover it is very possible to have more than one hometown team.

Also, I should add that not all Marylanders were unhappy when the Colts left Baltimore, because a big chunk of that small state has always rooted for the Washington Redskins.

I told you.  Football.  Not confusing at all.

We moved to Maryland in 1994.  One day in 1996 we woke up to discover Art Modell had moved the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore, and voila...the Ravens were born. All sorts of legal mumbo jumbo stated that the name Browns, along with the team colors and team history, had to remain in Cleveland, but the players became Ravens.

So not confusing.

Clevelandites were now the unhappy ones, and if there's one thing you should know about pro football its this-someone is always unhappy.  Anyway, most Marylanders were excited to finally have an NFL team in town and a contest was held to choose the name and mascot. In case you didn't know, Edgar Allan Poe spent the early part of his career in Baltimore and is also buried there, so the team name is essentially a shoutout to a hometown boy made good.

Back to us...we spent nine happy years living in Maryland, and my girls went from toddler to teen in this city by the Bay.  Funny how the 49er's are also a city by the Bay, but when I say Bay I'm talking East Coast.  The Chesapeake.

When I think of Baltimore I think of trips to the zoo-

I think of Saturday morning walks around the Inner Harbor, visits to the Aquarium, and Girl Scout overnights spent sleeping uncomfortably on the hard floor of the Science Center-

I think of third grade field trips to a former oyster cannery, a daughter's 12th birthday at The Hard Rock Cafe, and accidental matching shoes on the pavement outside-

I think of Camden Yards and a shortstop named Cal who was making baseball history.

I think of countless runs to BWI and the unscripted welcome home sweetness of fathers and daughters.

I think of boating on the Chesapeake and the Old Bay goodness of crabs picked on a sunshiny day.

I think of purple seats in a downtown stadium.

These days we live in NY Giant country. Or NY Jet country depending where your loyalty lies. And of course these two NY teams play their home games at a stadium in NJ so yeah, football's not at all confusing.

On Sunday there will be no confusion. No conflict as to where our football loyalties lie. We didn't grow up girls in San Francisco. We didn't watch a thousand sunsets on that west coast Bay. We never planted roots, made a house a home, fell in love with bridges and sea air and blue herons in a California  burg.

Why do I love football?  Lots of reasons...I love the competition, the intensity, the skill...I love a game won in the last seconds, a fabulous catch, a ball run into the end zone from 80 yards away.

Mostly though, I love what football stirs up inside my head.  I love the memories invoked.  My dad in his recliner, youth group retreats, fall days, college, Neyland Stadium filled with 90,000 screaming fans dressed in orange, blue skies, family piled together on the couch eating lil' smokies and cheering for the hometown team. Growing up. Me and them.

Go Ravens!

Another Super Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's super edition of the Wednesday Hodgepodge!  Be sure to add your link to the bottom of my post and then go compare answers with your friends and neighbors.

Go Ravens!  

1. In the USA this coming Sunday millions will be watching the Baltimore Ravens take on the San Francisco 49er's in the Superbowl.  What was the last event you attended that could be described as super?

I have to wrack my brain to come up with something here....Christmas?  
Looks like I'm overdue for something super.  

2. Share something you're a fan of these days?

Lots of things...conversation hearts, a full moon, this Deruta pottery pattern, the book of James, Downton Abbey, breathtaking sunrises,  Lee Brice, weekend getaways on the calendar, Pinterest, and deer outside my window looking back at me...just to name a few.

3.  How do you feel about wings?  In case anyone is confused, I'm talking about the edible appetizer kind.  What's your preferred seasoning-hot, mild, teryiaki, sweet and sour, other? Do you make your own or is there a favorite place you like to go for wings?

I like them every now and then, but they're not an altogether healthy dish, especially when served with a side of blue cheese. I must have the side of blue cheese and plenty of celery too, because I like mine hot.  Not the ridiculous blazing so-hot-you-can't-actually-taste-them kind of hot, but definitely hot.  

I've only made wings a couple of times because this is a dish I prefer to eat out. They're messy! I do have some in my freezer I bought from a door to door salesman (yes, really) and they're not bad, but they're still messy.

4. As long as we're talking sports today, have you been following the Lance Armstrong story?  Did you watch his interview with Oprah and if so what was your reaction to his confession and subsequent remarks?

This whole story makes me so sad.  I didn't watch the whole interview, but I've seen quite a few excerpts.  So sad.  Have we not learned in the year 2013 that exposure is inevitable when you're in the public eye?  Guess not.  

We may not all be multi-million dollar athletes who doped, lied about it, and then bullied his accusers, but we are all in need of God's amazing grace.  I think I'll leave it at that.  

5. What's a question you hate to be asked?

Would you mind stepping on the scale?

6. The coaches in this Sunday's big match up happen to be real life brothers.  Jim Harbaugh coaches the 49er's and his older brother John Harbaugh coaches the Baltimore Ravens.  Were you and your sibling(s) competitive?  In what way?  Are you still?  If you're an only child how did you handle competition growing up?

I'm just going to go ahead and admit up front that I'm a fan of competition. Friendly competition that is, the kind that bubbles up in a board game, or healthy competition like we have in a free market society.  I'm not so much a fan of competition when it comes to the less tangible things in life like love, acceptance, and a person's worth.

In terms of my parent's attention or things I wanted to do when I was a kid,  I 'd say I wasn't competitive at all with my older sister. She was just enough older than me for that not to be an issue. Same goes for my brother, although he and I used to get into some heated games of  ping pong. I really really really wanted to beat him just one time, but I never did.  It didn't hurt because he was older, athletic, and always encouraging in my efforts.  

My younger sister and I are just a year apart.  I don't remember feeling competition with her for my parent's love and attention, but I guess it's possible there were moments of that for both of us.  If so, they don't stand out. We had a lot of overlap in friends, but  I think we were mostly glad we had each other.  We were in the same trig class in high school, even though she's a year younger than me.  She's a numbers girl so was ahead of the game there.  It didn't bother me a bit. 

We argued now and then, but that was mostly about making sure everything was exactly always 100% Even Steven in terms of our assigned household chores.  Oh we could drill down on that one.   

My sibs and I are not in competition with one another as adults.  
Unless a board game is involved, and then all bets are off.  

7. What's your favorite game involving a ball, and when did you last play?

To watch, it's college football, but can't say I've ever played-ha.  My favorite game to actually play that requires a ball would be ping pong.  It's been a few years, but it's still my favorite.  

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Is anyone planning to participate in the A-Z blog Challenge this April?  You can sign up starting today by going here.  The idea of this challenge is to post every day (except Sundays) during the month of April, using the alphabet as your guide.  I've taken part the last two years and really enjoyed it.  There are thousands of participants, and let me just say there's something for everyone out there in the blogosphere.  I think this year they're going to attempt to do some categorizing which should make it easier to find blogs that meet your interest. It's a work in progress so they'll likely tweak that as the month progresses.  

The last two years I've had a theme and find I work best that way. Sadly, no fabulous trip is in the works for this March so I'm having to think hard to come up with a theme for this year's posts.  You don't have to have a theme, but I think it helps a lot.  

Let me know if you plan to play along! 

Chili Anyone?

We were supposed to get an additional three to six inches of snow on Saturday but thankfully the forecasters were wrong. We ended up with a little icy rain in the morning that quickly turned to plain old rain for the rest of the day. Temperatures rose to almost 50 degrees and we listened to the sound of icicles crashing to the ground most of the day. That sound was followed closely by the sound of feet running to carefully inspect the walls in the basement and the bedrooms for any sign of water damage. So far so good. Oh there is still a ton of snow out there and my yard and deck still look like a skating rink, but at least the gutters are beginning to thaw.

What? You thought I was going to talk about the Super Bowl and not the weather? The fact that we didn't get more snow meant our party could go on as planned. Saturday we set the Sirrus radio to 70's music and we dusted and mopped and vacuumed and cooked and decorated all the live long day. Hubs also went outside every hour on the hour to move ice and snow and water away from the house. It was very Pioneer-like. Except for the 70's music I mean.

I had fun decorating my dining room table for the party. This is what it looked like before it was covered with food-

Tres festive! I made a chocolate cake and attempted to decorate it like a field and it was delish...

We haven't eaten the goal posts yet. They are pretzels dipped in melted white chocolate. Yum!

Speaking of food, there was a lot. Everyone brought a dish and there were so many wonderful dips and wings and shrimp oh my. I made two huge pots of chili and two trays of cheddar jalapeno cornbread and thankfully both freeze well because my word there was a lot of left over food.

In other Superbowl fun, hubs got creative and made a game board which everyone played at $1 a square. We were not paying out on the quarter, just at the half and then again at the end of the game. Guess what? Nobody won which was a little anti-climatic. Of course nobody lost either and hey, if you're not a loser you're a winner, right? I can't tell you what my favorite commercial was because I seem to have missed most of the commercials. I may have been talking. Possibly I was talking. It's likely I was talking.

Eventually everyone headed home and hubs and I washed dishes and put away food and as we worked we chatted and had our own little post party recap. I love that part of a party...the after-party, if you will. Does anyone else wonder why they don't play the Super Bowl game on a Saturday night? Oh I'm sure its got something to do with money and advertising and sponsors because pretty much everything does when you're talking about professional sports...and I know back in the old days football was strictly a Sunday afternoon thing so maybe that's how the tradition began but come on...they now televise games on Mondays and Thursdays and Saturdays and Sundays so can't we move the Super Bowl game to a Saturday too? I need my beauty sleep on Sunday nights.

Do you want to know the best part of my Super Bowl day? Daughter1 phoned and said she has some vaca this week so she wondered if she might be able to come home for a few days. I hopped on line and booked her a flight and am off to the airport to collect her in just a couple of hours. Since June I have spent less than 20 days with her in person. That is not enough. Not by a long shot. And its times like these that I'm happy hubs travels and racks up miles with the airlines. Free ticket + daughter home + someone to share in the left over chili means there actually was a winner here yesterday....and that winner was me.

My Highlight Reel

In honor of the big game I thought I'd be all NFL- like and give you my weekend highlight reel. It was pretty quiet here ...we were supposed to be snowed in on Saturday but not a flake fell. Not a single solitary flake. None. The hubs flew to South Carolina Friday evening to buy a car for Daughter 2. Let's take a moment and look at this from another angle...

hubs got to spend the weekend with the daughters

daughter2 took possession of her very first car

hubs and daughters 1 and 2 had a lovely meal in an Indian restaurant

and me?

I was home in my pajamas cleaning and organizing my pantry, kitchen cabinets, refrigerator and freezer.

Something is very very wrong with that picture.

Back to my highlight reel...husband got lucky and was put on an earlier flight Sunday so he arrived home before the pre-game pre-game pre-game show. I made yummy pulled pork bbq and peanut butter heath bar cookies so it felt superbowlish even though it was just the two of us in our pjs on the couch rooting for the Colts who did not win btw.

Who thought there were too many commercials in the Superbowl?

Who was not impressed with said commercials?

Who did not see the big deal about the Tim Tebow ad?

Who thought Carrie Underwood belted out the National Anthem without so much as a hiccup?

Who thought she was completely in touch with her Country Western Singer self in that outfit?

Who felt proud to see the troops standing at attention on a military base half a world away?

Who thought if they heard the words Dorito and Bud Light one more time they might scream?

Who wished they were in warm and sunny Miami?

Who thought Pete and Roger were showing their age just a wee bit?

Who thought the halftime light show and lasers were very cool?

Who thought it was ironic that a British band who doesn't really love American football was playing the halftime show at the Superbowl?

Who thought the drummer looked young enough to be Pete's grandson?

Who has a husband who wants to play the drums?

Who still loves the song Teenage Wasteland?

Who wanted to yell do-over when the Saints pulled off that crazy onside kick?

Who wanted to cry when Peyton threw that interception?

Who appreciated the tone and the polite comments made by the Colts coach after the game?

Who thought Drew Brees standing teary eyed holding his positively adorable baby boy was one of the sweetest moments on tv in recent memory?

Who is sorry to say goodbye to the NFL for the season?

Who hates the fact that she has to go to the dentist today?

oh wait...

that'll be next weeks reel.