Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 610

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here on Wednesday of course,  (July 9) to share with the universe. See you there! 

1. What's an adult problem nobody prepared you for? 

2. How tuned in are you to all the recent food related health news? Have you gotten rid of your scratched cookware? Did you pay attention to food additives before they made the news? What's one healthy eating/cooking/food shopping habit you need to adopt? 

3. What's getting worse and worse as you get older? How about better and better? 

4. Are you more of an indoor person or an outdoor person? Elaborate. 

5. If you had an expert personal assistant today, what would you have them do? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

You Say Variety I Say Hodgepodge

Welcome to another week in the Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions, add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for your neighbor there. Here we go...  

1. June 10th is National Herbs and Spices Day. Besides salt and pepper what herb or spice container do you reach for most often? Is there a spice you truly dislike? What's a recent dish you made that called for more than salt and pepper?  

I use a lot of different spices on a regular basis so it would be hard to pick just one. My most used are probably parsley, basil, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, and garlic powder. I can't think of a single spice I don't like. 

Something I made recently? Hubs and I made a delicious curry called Kuku Paka last week that called for turmeric, paprika, ginger, cumin, coriander, garam masala and garlic. 

It was really tasty, but with all those spices, how could it not be? 

2.  It's been said 'variety is the spice of life'...in what way is this true for you? Elaborate. 

Moving is the first thing that came to mind. We've lived north, south, midwest, and across the pond so lots of variety in terms of food, speech, climate, and custom. Lots of similarities too, but always new things to learn and experience. Living in so many different places, digging in to each new spot, making friends from around the globe...all of this has added a richness to my life I would not trade. 

3. What's something in your life that adds 'spice' (excitement, intensity) even if also comes with challenge or unpredictability? 

Hubs of course. 

If you know him in real life then no need for me to explain lol. If you don't, just know he brings the fun wherever he goes. 

4. If you could instantly master one skill or hobby, what would it be and why? 

The piano. Why? No real reason other than that I always wanted to play. I'm not musically inclined and wish I had learned the piano as a child because I do think it helps you develop in that area. I don't need to be a concert pianist but would love to play as a hobby. My hubs is musical and thankfully our girls take after him in that department. 

5. We're halfway through the year...what's one book, movie, or activity you've loved this year that you'd recommend to others? 

Book-Pride and Prejudice...an oldie but still and ever a goodie. If you've only seen the film (which I also love) and you've never read the book I highly recommend. Books hit differently than movies, and by differently I mean better lol. 

Movie-We haven't watched a lot of great movies, or at least none are coming to mind. I very much enjoyed the documentary I mentioned last week ('The Quilters'). I also recently re-watched the film 'Unsung Hero' which is the story of the Smallbone family (two of the brothers make up King and Country and their sister is Rebecca St. James). I saw it with friends in the theatre, but hubs and I watched it at home recently and he liked it too. It's uplifting which is not something you can say about many movies today. 

Activity-Hubs and I are reading through the Bible together this year,  following The Bible Recap plan which is chronological. After each day's scripture is read (we're listening to it aloud since we're doing it together), we then listen to The Bible Recap podcast hosted by Tara Leigh Cobble. It's only 5-10 minutes and is really helpful. We've enjoyed this little pause in our day where we sit down together and focus on who God is. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

My mom lives with my younger sister several states away, but she's here in the Palmetto State this week staying with my older sister, about an hour and a half from me. I'm trekking over there while she's in town so I can spend time with her. 

We used to split her visits with half at my house and half at my sister's but all the back and forth felt like too much for just a week, so she'll stay put and I'll go to her. My brother flew down with her and it was nice to have a day to catch up with him too. 

I spent the whole day Monday with my mom and am back there today too. I do not take this time for granted, or the fact that I'm the age I am and still have my mother in my life. It's a gift and I know this. 

"An aging parent is a blessing from God—a living testament to His faithfulness through the generations" Author Unknown 

Video Killed The Radio Star

TGIV...we're on the home stretch in the April A-Z Blog Challenge with today's letter. 

V is for Velocity

'the speed of something in a given direction'

Let's talk tech. I know. Not my favorite subject either, but it's here to stay and we gotta deal. 

I'm of the generation who grew up with three channels on the family television set and now here we are posing questions to a genie in a bottle and getting entire essays written in response. Technology moves at the speed of something in a given direction alright, and that direction is forward. 

I want to keep up. 

Maybe want isn't the right word. It feels more true to say I need to keep up. I'm not going to be an early adopter to whatever the next new tech thing is, but I'll get there eventually. 

The generations behind mine have grown up unafraid to use technology, they've discovered ways tech can make some of our daily tasks easier (bill pay, online shopping, and grocery delivery to name just a few), and they get excited about the next new thing on the tech horizon. An unwillingness to acknowledge this marks you as 'old'. 

Now there's nothing wrong with old (it's all of us sooner or later me included), and I realize some of the above is generalizing, but I don't want to be discounted because of this whole glob of knowledge I'm oblivious to, or that I frown upon, or that I'm constantly criticizing.  

I have grandchildren who aren't going to know a world without technology at their fingertips and I want to understand that world. I want to be able to interact with them about the things they encounter on a daily basis and if I'm not keeping up with technology I won't know what in the world they're talking about. 

There's also the social aspect to technology that I can appreciate. And sometimes hate, but I'm thinking more here of what I enjoy about online interactions. I appreciate the real life friends I'm able to keep up with online, old friends I've reconnected with, and new friends I've made in this little space right here. 

While my kids are living nearer to us now in terms of geography, that hasn't always been the case. Facetime meant we could be face to face via the screen and I think of all we would have missed without that virtual connection. 

In a completely different vein...have you noticed how much of our health care is now managed via technology? I get my lab results before my doctor's even read them, and I can track my steps, my heart rate, even my sleep via the watch on my arm. I'm sure all of this will only continue to expand in scope and capability and I want to be able to access the tools I need to navigate my own medical records and care. 

Do you play word games or Sudoku or something along those lines on your phone or computer? Work online crossword puzzles? Read books via Kindle? These are all things we used to do with pen and paper (and still do of course), but now we can enjoy them and exercise our brains while waiting for an appointment, cleaning house, or taking a walk. Too much of anything is too much, and that includes screen time, but it has its place and I want to keep up with what's new and fun.

If you don't keep up the gap just continues to grow and then feels too daunting to tackle. 

Technology doesn't mean I can't continue to make in person time count. I can still write letters to my grandchildren that are thoughtful and worth holding on to. I can read them my favorite books and teach them the board games I grew up playing. I can tell them the stories of my childhood and I can wish the world were another way. 

And I can let them take me by the hand and teach me something new. 

Young At Heart

 Rolling right along with today's letter of the day...

O is for oxymoron

'a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction;

a self-contradicting word or group of words'

Let's talk about aging gracefully. Is that phrase an oxymoron? From the moment we're born we're all growing older, we just seem to remark on it in a more negative way after a certain point on the birthday timeline. 

So what does it mean to age gracefully? There are of course the obvious things we all know to do like eat right, drink lots of water, exercise, and get enough sleep, but what about the less obvious, but equally important habits we need to cultivate if we want to live a grace-ful life? 

There are traits I associate with the term, and also with women I know who I think are aging gracefully, that I want reflected in my own life as I lean into this third act. Here's some of what I've observed and also what I aspire to...

have a positive outlook

laugh a lot 

forgive easily

stay curious about the world around me 

be gentle in speech and action

live with an open heart and open hand 

stay grounded

be humble

self-aware

accepting of change

grateful 

Easier said than done some days, but I'm still a work in progress. 

I read somewhere the opposite of aging gracefully would be aging poorly or prematurely, which I don't think anyone aspires to yet many end up doing just that. I like having this list written down. It's a visual reminder every day is a gift and I get to choose how I live it. 

'Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.' Psalm 90:12 

Pressed Between The Pages Of My Mind

Whoohoo! We've reached the halfway point in the A-Z Blog Challenge today, with 13 letters down and 13 left still to write. Go us!   

 M is for Memory

'the power or process of recalling what's been learned and retained, 

especially through associative mechanisms; the fact or condition of being remembered; 

a particular act of recall or recollection  

In this season when we refer to the term memory we're talking about one of three things- 

Remembering...pretty much anything. Why did I walk downstairs? Into this room? Out to the garage? Why did I come into the pantry? What did I do with that statement-receipt-document? What did she just tell me her name is? 

Names are tough in this season. I used to never ever ever forget a name. I was once the Director of a large preschool and kindergarten and I knew 300 names and the faces to go with. Now someone introduces themself and my brain short circuits. I try to give myself a mnemonic when I meet someone new to help remember their name, otherwise it flies right on out into space.

Initially when things like this happen you wonder if you have some sort of serious memory disorder, but most of the time it's just plain old aging. Not always of course and if you're truly worried you should see a doctor, but everyone I know who is my age-ish says the same thing. They're not as sharp as they were a decade ago. They don't remember names the way they used to, and multi-step tasks require greater concentration than one would think. 

Less multitasking, more let me give this my undivided attention and get it done. 

Hubs and I have many a conversation that goes something like this-'What't the name of those people who lived next door to us in xyz state? They had a daughter who was friends with our daughters and he worked for a software company and blah blah blah.....' 

Then hubs will answer with a name that's close but not quite right, like he'll say Joe and I'll say no it was Jim, Jim!! Yes! Jim!! And then we put our heads together and come up with the last name and a few more details and then we congratulate ourselves and also feel a little bit like we just finished a 5K. 

A lot of thinking in this season requires a collective brain. Truth man. 

Remembering the past...if you're on Facebook I'm sure you'll agree those timehop photos are like a zinger to the heart. You're scrolling along when all of a sudden BAM! there's your daughter at her high school graduation. 

So you look at another picture, then another, and before you know it two hours have passed and you haven't done any of the things you intended to do, because you've spent the better part of a morning traveling down a rabbit hole. 

And then there's your children having children. Few things wing you back a couple of decades the way your kids having kids of their own does. I think we're always looking for all the ways our grandchildren are similar to their parent, the child we birthed.

And when you do get a glimpse, in a look or a gesture or the way they turn their head just so, it makes your heart go squish. 

Watching your grown children feed and love and care for their children takes you back to that time in your own life...to the exhaustion and the frustration and the sweetness most of all, and how ding dang fast it's all gone by. 

Making new memories...this is true and important in every season, but I think I'm more aware of it in my third act. Hubs and I are both currently healthy and we're active people. I was at the doctor Monday for my physical and she asked if I'd had the pneumonia vaccine and I said 'am I 'old' enough to need that?' 

Sometimes I forget my age. 

I want to enjoy spending time and doing things with the people I love, talking to the most interesting little people I know hearing about all they are discovering, wondering and loving. I want to meet new people and see new places, hear other people's stories, what they've experienced in their lives. 

On the whole I think we remember the milestone events that happen within the life of a family, but I want to remember some of the smaller moments too. I so wish I had more pictures of my girls with my own parents. We never lived in the same town, so photos with either set of grandparents are typically of the birthday or holiday celebration variety. These are of course very special, but it would be sweet to have more of the everyday ordinary snaps taken with them. My mom played such great imaginative games with my girls and I wish I had captured more of that. 

My grandchildren (and my children for that matter) don't always want to have a picture taken, but I annoyingly persist and eke out a few every now and then. They'll thank me someday. My dad died unexpectedly young and I treasure the pictures I have of him with my girls. It's cliche to say it I know, but it's also true...we're not promised tomorrow. 

Easter, 1992

We have today and today is as good a day as any for making a memory. One that will feel tender and precious as we look back on it in the years to come. 

Linking this post with Talking About It Tuesday hosted by Joanne at Slices of Life 

Retirement Day 3,665

Linking this post today with Talking About It Tuesdays hosted by Joanne

There was a blog link up yesterday that a lot of bloggers I follow participate in, but I didn't have it together to make that happen which, let's be honest, is par for the course here. 

The link up is called Share Our Lives and this month's prompt was A Day In the Life. The way it works is you choose any day in your week (usually the week prior to the linkup), and then share in words and pictures what you've spent the day doing, hour by hour.  

I love to read these posts and enjoy seeing all the ways we're different, but mostly how we're the same. People everywhere are doing laundry, making meals, solving problems, managing the everyday ordinary bits of life. 

Ten years ago (plus a couple of weeks) my hubs retired. I looked back at my blog and found three posts with similar titles to today's-Thoughts On Retirement Day Six, Retirement Day 47, Retirement Day 183, and then one entitled Five Minutes of Today written at the five year mark. 

And suddenly another five have passed. 

Retirement isn't anything like I thought it would be. 

Well, maybe a little bit but mostly no. 

I imagined every day would look a lot like the one before and instead every day is different. I read the Day in The Life Posts and the bloggers who participate are mostly people who are still working and raising their families. Their days and weeks are defined by jobs and children's needs and activities so their weekdays especially are by necessity fairly scripted. 

In retirement you can be all over the map if you want to be. You can stay in your pajamas all day every day, skip dinner because you went out for a big lunch, go to bed at 8 PM or stay up all night, see a movie on a Monday afternoon, go out to dinner last minute, invite friends for dinner last minute without wondering if your house is a mess because in all likelihood it's not. You can fill every hour of every day or none at all, and just let the day take you where it will.

You are the boss of your calendar. Mostly. In retirement while you do get to decide how much or how little you want to do every day, some of that will depend on your health. A lot will actually. So you make a conscious effort to take care of yourself, because if you don't have your health it's going to affect you in ways you never gave a passing thought to at age 40. 

Or maybe you did, but when I was 40 I was young lol. Back then if we were out with friends the topic of conversation was never about our knees or the ache in our shoulder. We try not to be those people now, but we are not our 'parents retirees'. We're golfing, hiking, kayaking, playing tennis and Pickleball, and truthfully sometimes just sleeping wrong. 

I imagined in retirement I'd spend a lot of time chilling on the couch watching hubs nap in his recliner, and instead I'm going here and he's going there and we synch calendars and he texts and asks 'where are you now, do you want to meet for lunch?' 

We are definitely not the people who stay in our pajamas all day, and I have absolutely no idea why I thought my hubs of all people would suddenly sit still and retire in his recliner. 

I imagined less 'paperwork' and instead there is an awful lot of paperwork. The business of life carries on in retirement much like it did in the workaday world. There are finances to manage, bills to pay, insurance to understand.  

There are still meals to plan, clothes to wash (why still so much laundry???), rubbish bins that need to be rolled to the curb on the appointed day, cars needing repairs, floors needing mopping, haircuts, mail, dust, and yadda yadda yadda. You know the drill because we're all in this particular boat together. Retirement does not erase the house-yard-life maintenance that keep the wheels of home spinning.  

There's time to travel, explore the beauty and history and fun quirky things that exist right where you live. There's time to volunteer, grow your hobbies, have long conversations with your spouse, dig deep into your faith and prayer life, and invest time and energy in your grandchildren if you're fortunate enough to have them. When I count my retirement blessings these things are all near the top. 

So what does an ordinary day look like in retirement? 

Well, today (Monday) it was coffee with the sunrise. Read my Bible. Shower and dress for an appointment with the dermatologist in the city. No makeup because he likes you to come in fresh faced. I had a bowl of Special K with Red Berries, then put coolers in the car for the Costco run I'll make after the dermatologist. 

My daughter, who is temporarily living with us (along with her hubs and three children), had plans to go to story hour at the library so I gave her my books that are due today. Winning! 

I left the house at 9 am and drove almost an hour to my appointment, which was fine. Country roads for the most part and I always have a book going on Audible so I listened to that while I drove. I spent about fifteen minutes in the dermatology office getting my annual skin check, then made the five minute drive from there to Costco. It was mobbed and I bought way too much. It's the law. 

Checked out and pushed my very full cart all the way to my car in the pouring rain, unloaded said cart in the pouring rain, returned the cart to the cart return even though it wasn't close and it was still pouring. 

Broke in to the Pirate Booty for the car ride home. It was necessary.  

I got home about 1 o'clock and unloaded the Costco haul. Made three trips up and down the stairs to put various items in the lower level frig and deep freeze because all this food has to go somewhere. I'd made a small salad the night before because I was thinking ahead and topped it with left over tuna for my lunch. I also made hubs a sandwich because he'd been to the real estate office and hadn't had lunch either. 

By now it was 2 PM and I made a cup of hot tea and turned on the fire. It was still wet, gray and cool and I sat by the fire and sipped my tea. I worked on this post while my daughter sat beside me and scoured Pinterest for home decorating inspiration. 

She and I plan our weekly meals ahead because with seven people in the house, three of them children who need to eat on the regular, we don't want to leave meals to chance. If it were just me and the hubs we would definitely wing it on occasion, which is one of the nice things about retirement. Anyway, today she put chicken, salsa, black beans and corn in the crock pot while I was out which was super helpful. 

While hubs and I had lunch she was working on school with the boys, and when they finished up I read a couple of books to them and chatted about their trip to the library. Little Miss was 'napping' and the boys went to their room to play with legos for a while. I then spent thirty minutes with hubs listening to today's Bible reading and The Bible Recap podcast we do every day. Hubs and I committed to it on January 1 and so far we have stayed on track. Even through Leviticus. And Numbers. 

Afterwards I got all the fixings out for our 'taco bowls'. Not sure if that's what they're called but I made some Mexican rice, we topped them with the shredded crock pot chicken-bean-corn mix, grated cheese, black olives, sour cream, guacamole, tortilla chips, and a squeeze of lime. They were delish and so easy! 

My daughter did most of the dishes and the kids played before going to get ready for bed. They are full on during the day, but go to bed early and sleep like teenagers which is a blessing. Little Miss is up earlier in general but she's super adorable so we're always happy to see her first thing. 

I filled the tub and threw in one of my rejuvenation bath bombs that I love and finally got rid of the chill I'd had since getting soaked in the Costco parking lot. I put on my pjs and wrapped up this super interesting blog post. 

That was today. Tomorrow will be completely different. I have to finish taxes, do a grocery run for all the things I don't buy at Costco, there's book club in the afternoon, and then I play Mah Jong with neighbors tomorrow night. It will be another crock pot meal because my son-in-law is working, hubs has a dinner to attend, and one grandson has baseball practice late afternoon. 

So how would I characterize retirement on Day 3,665?

Not boring. 

I feel like there's more I want to say about it all, but I've run out of steam. Does a trip to Costco wear you out too or am I the only one?  Have a nice week everyone!  

Appreciating 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. Thanks for joining the fun here on Wednesdays. Here we go-

1. What's something you think is under appreciated. Explain.  

Gentleness. The world is harsh. It often seems like everyone is shouting and nobody is listening.  When I encounter someone who speaks gently, who is able to make their point without name calling, swearing, or belittling another I find myself wishing there was more of it. 

2. As winter approaches how do you stay productive? 

Hmmm...am I productive in the winter months? We're more like bears who hibernate in order to conserve energy to be used later. We go mach ten here three quarters of the year so I actually view doing less as being productive in it's own way. Winter is a time to hunker down, catch up on some of the longer books on my to-read list, rest, and make plans. 

3. What's a popular food you don't like? 

I'm not a big fan of quinoa. Or kale. I'll eat both but they're not something I choose to cook/eat at home. I like brown rice, couscous, and chickpeas all of which are good substitutions for quinoa in many dishes. And while I don't care for kale I do love spinach so why eat kale? 

That being said,  I'm not a picky eater at all so if I come to your house for dinner and you serve me quinoa with a side of kale I'll eat both. 

4. What do you think is more interesting-art or history? Elaborate. 

I enjoy both I guess for different reasons. Art is so often a reflection of the times in which it's made so in a sense we need art to help us understand history. If I have to choose I'd say I don't want to live in a world without art, but I find history more interesting. 

5. What advice would you give to someone half your age?

Develop a habit of daily prayer. One sentence or whole pages. 

Start a simple stretching or exercise routine. 

Wear sunscreen.

Think for yourself. 

Cultivate a grateful heart. 

Read more, scroll less. 

Print your pictures. 

Write it down. A single sentence about your day or big thoughts about your life. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

42 days until Christmas...how's that for random? 

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list...

Young At Heart In 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 blog. Be sure to visit your neighbors on the list as comments make the blog world go round. Here we go- 

1. Do you feel older or younger than your age? Elaborate. 

Hmmm...depends on the day and what's happening. While I don't feel like a 20-something I also don't feel four decades beyond that either. Physically there are definitely days I feel my age. On the inside I'm still younger than the calendar claims. 

I think about this quite a bit as my mom and my mother-in-law are three decades ahead of me, yet I know they still feel young at heart. It's frustrating to have your thoughts and opinions discounted or unappreciated because of a number when on the inside you are still the girl you always were. I feel this too. 

2. What's one thing you should toss right now, but just can't?

I have several dresses I feel like I should part with, but there they hang...still in my closet. They fit, and are mostly classic in style, but I never wear them because they have been worn and worn and worn and sometimes you just want new. 

3. Have you visited many of the 63 National Parks in the US of A? You'll find a list here. Do you have a favorite? What National Park that you haven't seen do you most want to see? 

We've visited some, but not nearly as many as I'd like to see. A trip out west (Yellowstone and Grand Tetons) is high on my 'to-see' list. My hubs grew up just outside of the Smoky Mountain National Park and we've spent a lot of time there. It's for sure a favorite. 

I had to go in search of a photo because I have literally dozens of us at various ages and stages in the Smoky Mountains, but here's where I landed-

Be still my heart. I think this must be 1992 and y'all those babies on my lap now have babies this very same age. The absolute sweetest days. Then and now. 

Also there's my God given hair color. 

Carry on. 

Acadia is another favorite, definitely one of the prettiest places in America. I've also been to the Rocky Mountains many times as my grandparents lived on a Colorado farm with a view, Shenandoah (ooh, that's another favorite...they're all favorites I guess)...Mt. Rainier, The Everglades, The Redwoods...so many beautiful places. My sister and niece were in Joshua Tree recently and they loved that. I've been to California a few times so not sure I'll get to that one, but never say never. 

4. How often do you get take out? What's your favorite? 

There's basically no take out where I live. I mean there is I suppose, but by the time you get home with take out it's cold so you may as well eat there. We don't even have pizza delivery. We either cook at home or go to a restaurant. There's not a lot of in-between. I keep a frozen pizza here for when we want pizza, but on the whole we don't miss take-out. 

Well okay, occasionally I might pine for pizza delivery, but mostly we have adjusted expectations and it's all good. There is so much to love about living on a lake, and I have a grocery store and all other life 'necessities' within an 8-10 mile radius so I don't pine too much over the no-delivery. 

My favorite would be Thai or Chinese but it's not happening here. We do have a Thai restaurant we enjoy so if we want Thai we just eat there. 

5. Do you have many (or any) subscriptions? Not necessarily magazines, but thinking more along the lines of boxes or products that companies offer, and you can sign up to receive on a regular basis. Could be weekly, monthly, quarterly, even daily. Tell us about them. 

I have several subscription boxes. I've been ordering Home Chef a couple of times a month since the Covid nonsense, but am going to cancel that one at the end of the month. We recently bought a chest freezer so I've started a meat subscription to Good Ranchers and will do that instead. 

Not the same thing, but honestly we're not enjoying the Home Chefs as much as we did in the beginning. If you're looking for lower calorie/lower sodium content the options are few. And I never order any of the steak entrees because we're picky about our steak. 

We've ordered random boxes from Good Ranchers and like their product. It's all American ranchers and farmers and the quality is excellent. I started a subscription that included free Wagyu beef patties in every box for a year, plus a $100 dollar/box savings over the course of four orders. I signed up for a delivery every six weeks, but you can pause or cancel at any time. My box includes ground beef, chicken, sirloin, and flat iron steak, plus the free burgers. They always have specials so check for one before you order. The podcasters Allie Beth Stuckey and Alisa Childers both always have codes you can use too. 

I subscribe to Lovery for my youngest grands, and I get a Stitch Fix box once a quarter which I enjoy. I get a Grove box once a month, although some months I skip depending on what we've been doing. I get trash bags, dishwasher soap, dish soap, dog treats, dog bags, toilet bowl cleaner, and a few other odds and ends from them and it's nice not to have to add those items to my grocery cart when I shop in person. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Well I have a million things to do to get ready for next week, but instead I spent a good part of today (Tuesday) putting together a photo book from a trip we took in 2017. 

I'm on top of things. 

In 2017 we drove up the coast of California from San Francisco all the way to Tacoma Washington, where my daughter1 was living at the time, and every time I look at my photos I think 'I should really make that album.' 

My daughter makes beautiful family yearbooks with Mpix and I had a 40% off coupon sitting in my email that expires today, so I made a book. It was time consuming and I'm so glad I have my blog, because I wrote about the trip in great detail when it happened and that helped me get the album in chronological order, and also remember the names of all the tiny towns we drove through. 

Still a long to-do list, but tomorrow is another day. 

Also, in 2022 we drove up the California coast from San Diego to San Francisco and once I see how this  album turns out I'm determined to get Volume 2 done as well. Before another seven years pass I mean. 

Have a great day everyone! 

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list...

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 559

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. Do you feel older or younger than your age? Elaborate. 

2. What's one thing you should toss right now, but just can't? 

3. Have you visited many of the 63 National Parks in the US of A? You'll find a list here. Do you have a favorite? What National Park that you haven't seen do you most want to see? 

4. How often do you get take out? What's your favorite? 

5. Do you have many (or any) subscriptions? Not necessarily magazines, but thinking more along the lines of boxes or products that companies offer, and you can sign up to receive on a regular basis. Could be weekly, monthly, quarterly, even daily. Tell us about them. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Prioritizing The Hodgepodge

Welcome to the last Wednesday Hodgepodge in the month of June. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then hop over and leave a comment for the blogger before you. Everybody loves company...at least in the blogosphere they do. Here we go-

 

1. What do you think has remained the same about you your whole life? How has your perception of yourself changed over time? 

I think I've always been a helper, introspective, sensitive, and stubborn. Hubs will testify to that last one-ha! My faith and my family have always been important to me and all of these things remain true today. 

As far as changing over time...hopefully I've grown, matured, learned to recognize what's important and will matter for eternity and what to let fall by the wayside. Course there's still plenty of growing to do. We're all a work in progress, but I do think I'm able to give myself more grace in this stage of life than in prior seasons.  

2. What was the first thing you learned how to cook? Do you prefer to cook or bake? 

That's going back a long way but I guess the first thing I remember learning to make in the kitchen is salad dressing. Which technically isn't cooking but it felt like I was contributing to the dinner by making the dressing. We had a tossed salad pretty much every night so my sister and I were in charge of that from a fairly early age. I learned to cook by watching my mom and helping in the kitchen. 

The next thing would be cookies. All the cookies because my mama has always been the queen of cookie baking, and this was true long before cookie baking became a 'thing'. Every Christmas my mama made dozens of different types of cookies, I'm going to say something like thirty different varieties, not exaggerating. And every December she gave away big trays to lots of different people including her mechanic, my brother's co-workers, neighbors, strangers, and of course we had cookies for dessert every night during the month of December, sometimes into January, because y'all there were so.many.cookies.

My hubs could not believe his eyes the first year he came home with me for Christmas and saw the wall of tins, Tupperware and assorted containers lined up floor to ceiling in the big walk in closet in our family room and a freezer filled with more of the same. He knew right then he was happy he married me. 

My sister and I at some point joined in the baking. We love it still and while there's never the number my mom made, my sisters, daughters and I all carry on baking many of those same recipes. 

3. What are some of your current priorities in this season of life? Elaborate. 

Health for one. Good health feels less like a given and more like something I need to pay attention to in terms of food, movement, and not skipping routine medical checks. 

Family, specifically my grandchildren. I want them to know Jesus and to see Jesus in me. I want to have fun with them, listen to them, encourage them, and pray for them. I want to be their biggest cheerleader as they each walk the path God has set before them.  

Faith. Always a priority for me, but the world is particularly bonkers and slightly scary these days, and I want to be grounded in God's word so I can live with gratitude and hope, not anger and fear. 

Peace. I'm at an age where I don't want to deal with a lot of conflict and negativity. I mean I've never enjoyed that, but for sure I don't want it occupying my heart and mind now. I know sometimes we have no choice, but then again, oftentimes we do. 

4. How much time do you spend on your hair each day or, put another way, what's your hair care routine? Do you get it cut regularly or just whenever the mood strikes? Do you go to the same stylist every time? Do you tell your stylist everything? Any other beauty treatments you indulge in throughout the year? 

Well it is summer and I live on a lake so a pony tail under a baseball cap, or tucked under my 'lake hat'  is pretty standard if we're spending any time at all in the water or on the boat. I'm here to tell you that you' cannot have great hair on a fast moving boat. As the saying goes, 'Boat hair, don't care'.   

I see my stylist about every 6-8 weeks so she can make my hair look sun kissed. Sometimes I forget I'm a natural born brunette-ha! I have blue eyes and as I've gotten older I like a bit of brightness around my face. 

Do I tell my stylist everything? Pretty much. She's a good listener and we have a lot of similar feelings about the world at large. She's the same age as my daughters so that's fun. 

I love a good facial and also get the occasional, but not weekly mani/pedi. 

5. What is the most awe-inspiring place you've visited? 

Oh my. How in the world do I answer this one? I've been to so many places around the world that inspire awe. I might be able to make a top ten, but even that would be tough. When I hear awe I think of places that are not only beautiful, but that also move me and cause me to feel something deeply. Here's a handful that would make my list-

Pretty Place, Cleveland SC, USA 

The California Redwoods

Mt. Rainier, Washington, USA 

Arlington National Cemetery-Arlington VA, USA 

The Daniel Boardman State Scenic Corridor-Oregon, USA

The Auguille du Midi-Chamonix, France

Canterbury Cathedral, UK

The beaches at Normandy, France 

Mont-Saint-Michel, France 

The American Cemetery at Colleville-Sur-Mer, France 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

There were some thought provoking questions in the HP today and I feel like some deserved more attention than I had to give. Here's the short version-I'm with my daughter2 and her two littles for a few days and it's hotter than blazes as my dad used to say and her a.c. was giving us fits and we left for swimming lessons and were talking so she went the wrong way on the interstate and we had to go something like nine exits to get turned around the right way and while we were doing that the swim place called and said their pool chemicals were wonky so they were cancelling and then just before bedtime the two year old had his first bee sting. 

In spite of all of the above this was still a really fun day, it just did not leave a lot of room for deep. I hope you're all staying cool, thinking clearly, and using a scoop as opposed to your bare hands when you need to remove a bumble bee from your water table. 

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list...

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 557

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. What do you think has remained the same about you your whole life? How has your perception of yourself changed over time? 

2. What was the first thing you learned how to cook? Do you prefer to cook or bake? 

3. What are some of your current priorities in this season of life? Elaborate. 

4. How much time do you spend on your hair each day or, put another way, what's your hair care routine? Do you get it cut regularly or just whenever the mood strikes? Do you go to the same stylist every time? Do you tell your stylist everything? Any other beauty treatments you indulge in throughout the year? 

5. What is the most awe-inspiring place you've visited? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

These Are The Days

Somehow it's the middle of July. I can't quite get my head around that but the calendar doesn't lie. It's been a month since I blogged anything other than the Hodgepodge, and declaring today the day I'm gonna try. I'm tempted to photo dump and call it a day, but words are more my jam so here goes.

We've been busy. I wonder how many times I've written that here? Hmmm....

A fun sort of busy though, filled with comings and goings and grand babies, new houses and cousins and fireworks. 

Floating and popsicles and sunshine and stories. 

Meals shared and messes made and whew! we.are.tired, but in the best sort of way you can be.

Daughter1 and her family moved from south to mid-west (ish) right around the 4th of July. My son-in-law has completed his Army commitment and is embarking on a one-year orthopedic fellowship in a new city. This new city is slightly further away than their previous city, but! an easier drive and in our same time zone so we'll take it. 

My son-in-law brought their two oldest to his parents house a few days prior to their move so the boys could have a little summer fun, and they could pack and load without the boys underfoot. Then, once the moving van pulled away, they would all come to our house and spend the week of July 4th at the lake. They'd meet the truck sometime after. 

Moving y'all. It's a bear. The movers decided to deliver their furniture to the new place on July 3rd, which meant my son-in-law had to go on ahead and start the unpack. Daughter1 stayed here with baby girl and both boys, then daughter2 and her hubs and sweet baby J joined us and it was a big loud happy holiday party. Minus one son-in-law who I'm sure was having a lot of fun too-ha! 

Daughter2 and her family headed home the Thursday after the 4th, and Daughter1 and baby girl drove on to the new house to finish unpacking and rearranging (if ya know ya know lol). Hubs and I had the boys here a few more days and we kept them moving. They kept us moving? Whatever. 

All I know is I have jumped off my dock no less than 700 times at the request of the mancub and that is a lot of jumping. A LOT. 

We had the most fun one day taking the boys to a little beach on one of the lake islands. We packed a picnic lunch, fished (the mancub reeled in 8!!) and did more jumping and swimming and floating and of course both boys had a turn taking the wheel. 

Loading and unloading and remembering to bring all the gear -snacks-sunscreen-snacks-hats and more required for a day on the lake ain't no joke. Sometimes you need a nap after-

There were s'mores one night, and yes it was 90 degrees but one does what one must. 

They were delish, and conveniently there's a lake to jump in right after. 

I was thinking recently about parenting versus grandparenting, and how when you're a parent the years can feel so long. 

As a grandparent you know that isn't true. You're more in tune with the passage of time, your own health, and growing older. Oh sure we love our grandparents all of our lives, but the days of exploring the world one rock-fish-firefly at a time are fleeting and precious. 

So I yell cowabunga as I jump off the dock for the nineteenth time, a little boy's hand held tightly to mine. I play Sorry and Crazy Eights and Uno ten times in a row. I finish a book then 'read it again Nana' because they love it and I love them and these are the days. 

The Hodgepodge Is Still Young At Heart

Welcome to another 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 your neighbor there. Here we go-

1. Tell me something you remember (or if you're not there yet, something you look forward to) about being 35.

I'm going to say this was one of my favorites. We were living in Maryland and I went back to work part time after several years at home. I taught preschool two days a week and loved it. My girls were five and seven and those years are some of the sweetest in a child's life. A mother's life too. 

Mom jeans and all. 

2. Last time you 'burned the candle at both ends'? 

I'm not really one to burn the candle at both ends. Never have been. It doesn't matter what needs doing late late at night I just can't. I can get up as early as you like, before dawn no problem, but don't ask me to stay up way late and get up way early too.  

3. Are you someone with the 'gift of gab'? Elaborate (which shouldn't be a problem if you answered yes teehee).  

I can and do talk a lot so I'm going to say yes. 

Here's another question for you...iIf someone said you had the gift of gab would you consider that a compliment? Hmmm. 

4. Do you request a special meal on your birthday, and if so tell us what that meal is? Do you want the same kind of cake year after year or will any flavor work? Do you want cake at all? Growing up were birthdays a big deal in your house? Are they a big deal now? 

I don't request a particular meal on my birthday, but hubs usually asks me what I'd like and either grills something or takes me out. Growing up I always always always wanted my momma's German Chocolate cake for my birthday, and would not say no to a piece right now. 

No matter where we've lived hubs has always gotten me a chocolate cake with raspberry filling for my birthday, and that's for sure another favorite.  I definitely want cake on my birthday. 

Growing up my mom made birthdays special. I don't think we had parties every year, but there were presents and cake and each one of us felt celebrated on our big day. 

Are birthdays a big deal in my house? Ha! Have you read my blog during the month of September? I am a fan of birthdays and marking the day, especially my own lol. 

5. 'Age is just a number.'..agree or disagree? Tell us why. 

Yes and no. I mean yes you are only as young as you feel, except not exactly. You are the age you are, and no matter how young you might feel on the inside the calendar does not lie. Nor does your lower back, your failing eyesight, or the color of your roots. Just sayin'.

Still I will say it's good to think young. To keep moving, try new things, meet new people, see new places, read, stay current with what's happening in the world of technology and the world in general. These are all things that I do think can help slow the aging process. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

This little beauty has a birthday today. I'll let you guess which one-ha! 

She has a beautiful blog, just not a lot of time to write these days. If you have a chance, hop over and wish the girl who made me a momma a sunshiny day. You'll find the link here-Sincerely Shannon. 

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list...

Love Is In The Hodgepodge

Welcome to another edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered this week's questions add your link at the end of my post. Then leave a comment for the blogger before you because bloggers LOVE comments.  Here we go-

1. Something you've done recently that might be considered a labor of love? 

Christmas. The shopping, wrapping, cooking, decorating...all a labor of love. 

2. What's one thing you love about being the age you are now? 

I know myself very well. I know what I like, what I dislike, and where my strengths and weaknesses lie. I know what's important to me and I worry so much less about what others think than I did in my younger years. 

3. What do you value more: careful planning or the freedom to be spontaneous? Elaborate.

Hmmm...hubs likes to say I sometimes have to be dragged into fun of the spontaneous kind and I suppose there's some truth to that. However, there are times I truly value spontaneity and a road trip (or travel of any kind) is definitely one of those times. I like a loose itinerary, but also want to leave room for any unexpected discoveries, feel free to veer off the 'planned' route to see something beautiful, and have time to linger over a meal we're enjoying without feeing pressured to get on to the next thing. 

I don't think careful planning is a bad thing in and of itself. It's the inability to let go of a plan, to be inflexible when flexibility is required, that gets us into trouble. I love a plan but I can always get on board with a plan B when a plan B is needed. 

4. A home cooked meal or a fancy restaurant? pink or red? watch the sunrise or watch the sunset? wine and cheese or champagne and chocolate? 

All of the above? 

Okay if you make me choose...home cooked, pink, sunrise, champagne and cheese. I know I cheated a little on that last part, but since I wrote the question I'll allow it.

5. What's your definition of romance? Are you a romantic? 

The Oxford dictionary defines romance as 'a feeling of mystery and excitement associated with love'. 

While we most often think of roses and candlelight I'm here to tell you a man who vacuums, who sometimes brings home your favorite candy bar for no reason whatsoever, and who fluffs your pillow and folds the covers back exactly the way you like them every single night also qualifies. 

Am I a romantic? I believe in happily ever after so yes I guess I am.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Had a spontaneous road trip to my daughter2's earlier this week and have had so much fun with this little guy and his momma-

I was able to watch his swimming lesson on Tuesday...

He loves his bath but hasn't quite made up his mind about the pool lol. 

The weather was perfect for walks around the neighborhood and chats on the porch. Sweet Baby J is working on some teeth, trying lots of new foods...

...and just generally making the world a brighter happier place. 

Happy Valentine's Day Hodgepodgers! 

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list...