Looking Back And Springing Forward

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

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

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

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

Try a new restaurant ✅ 

Celebrate Sugar's 2nd birthday ✅

Visit my mama ✅

Celebrate Valentine's Day ✅

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

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

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

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

hike a trail new to us ✅

see/hear live music ✅

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

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

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

Linking today with Joanne for Talking About It Tuesdays 

The Hodgepodge. Full stop.

Happy new year Hodgepodgers! I hope you had a happy restful holiday and are easing in to this new year with joy. I'm looking forward to lots of random fun here on Wednesdays and am so glad you're joining in with the weekly hop.  

If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for your neighbor there. Onward in to 2026 we go...

1. What are three words you would use to describe your 2025? 

fractured, anchored, grateful 

2. I ask this question every January, and I always get comments about how we shouldn't be banning words. This is fun and games so just play along : ) 

Every January 1st since 1976 Lake Superior University has published a list of words they'd like to see banished from the Queen's English. Words may be banished due to misuse, overuse, or just general uselessness (go here to read about how the words are chosen). Here's the list for 2026- 

67 • demure • cooked • massive • incentivize • full stop • perfect • gift/gifted  • my bad • reach out 

Which one (if any) do you use most often? I like the word perfect and that would be my most used on this list. I have no plans to stop. 

Which one of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? I'm not a fan of my bad and would be okay if we let that one go. I know 67 is overused, but not in my crowd. Perhaps if I had teens or tweens in the house? 

Is there a word you think should have made the list? How about 'circle back'? 

3. What are your nightly rituals? Is that different from your 'ideal' nightly ritual? If so what's your ideal? 

Is falling asleep on the couch considered a ritual? I do this a little too often. 

My nightly ritual is pretty simple-pjs, wash face, moisturize, retinol, and brush/floss teeth. I often do the face wash early in the evening if we're not going anywhere. I'm not the person doing any kind of housework in the evening. If we're home we watch something on TV and I might also read or work on my blog. My energy level is on a downward trajectory after 5 PM. 

4. January 6th is/was National Bean Day. Do you like beans? Which one is your favorite? Last thing you ate made with beans? 

I like all beans, with green beans being my favorite and limas my least liked. Still I'll eat them, but mostly just in soups or stews. Black eyed peas are actually a bean and we had those on January 1st so that would be the last thing I ate made with beans. 

5. Are you easily embarrassed? Elaborate. 

I can be, but it depends on the group I'm with and who's doing the embarrassing. I can definitely fake it and pretend I'm not embarrassed when I'm actually cringing on the inside. As a child I think I was pretty easily embarrassed but as an adult I've learned to laugh at myself. 

I will say I'm someone who is easily embarrassed for others, even when they might not feel it themselves. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I've made a simple winter bucket list, nothing too crazy, just a few things I'd like to do in the next three months. I find a list motivating in terms of helping me tackle some of the nagging to-dos that don't seem to get done if they're not written down. I can't explain it but somehow it works. Do you have a new year-new month-new season bucket list? 

Happy New You!

That's how we say it in our house. Happy new YOU! When our oldest grandson was two years old this was how he greeted the new year, and we still love it. 

So will it be a new me, or the same old me in 2026? I'm hoping for a slightly improved version, but I suppose I'm the one who will need to make that happen, so the answer is still up in the air. 

We put a boatload of expectation on the turning of a calendar page, don't we? 

Before we move forward let's look back at the week that was. Monday around 5 hubs had a thought about whether or not his passport was expiring this year or next so he went to check. He returned shortly and asked, 'Where's my passport?' 

I don't know. I mean we keep them locked up always in the same place, but when he went to check it wasn't there. So we backtracked in our thinking trying to remember when the last time was that he flew, until I remembered we had taken the passports (and every single identifying piece of information we own including our birth certificates and our marriage license) to the DMV in August when we went for our Real ID. 

Hmmm...so what did I do with them? I mean we both knew I'd been the one carrying the bag and hubs kept his cool but y'all it was a problem. A PROBLEM!! 

We knew they'd been in a tote bag and we spent the next couple of hours turning our house upside down looking for that bag in obvious and ridiculous places both, because at this point I figured I must have put it somewhere that made no sense. 

We had gone to breakfast after the DMV and even though it was all the way back in August I still phoned the restaurant and the sweet hostess went and looked in their office and under the counter and anywhere she could think of which I appreciated. I knew I hadn't left it there because I'm kind of paranoid about this sort of thing, although apparently not paranoid enough to put it all back in the spot we have for important documents. 

At some point I got on the computer and asked what to do and the internet very helpfully laid it out for me.  I went ahead and ordered a copy of my birth certificate and our marriage license because those things were easy. Hubs birth certificate would be another story, because he was born outside the US in a military hospital that no longer exists. Whoo boy. 

We finally went to bed. Hubs said we'd figure it out and let's just go to bed and see it with fresh eyes in the morning. Neither of us slept much, and when I got up he was already on the phone trying to sort out his paperwork dilemma. We both were sure the bag was somewhere in the house as opposed to truly lost or stolen, but we couldn't think of any other place to look. I decided to go look once more in one of the places I'd already looked three or four times, but this time I methodically took each thing out of the space, and hallelujah! there it was.  

Honestly I felt like I had a little PTSD from the whole experience. I know this experience falls under the heading of first world problems, but it was a problem nonetheless.

Tuesday was nice. I piddled around the house, made a big pot of lemon chicken orzo soup, caught up on blogs, and played Mah Jong with some neighbors. 

On the last day of the year (Wednesday) we went for a walk. It was cool but not windy and the sky was so blue. Some of us chased chipmunks...

we smiled at the cherry tree beginning to bloom-

...and we spent the afternoon watching football. I made a Mexican style spinach dip to take to the next door neighbors that evening. They invited us, along with another couple, to ring in the new year with dinner and cards.  

It was fun and we didn't have to drive anywhere which I consider a win on NY Eve. 

We haven't taken down a single decoration yet and I'm not mad about it. We're relaxing and enjoying sitting by the tree still, so probably won't worry about it until next week. 

On the first day of this brand new year we took another walk and watched a lot more football.  'Tis still the season. I blogged a little , and we made a semi-traditional meal for dinner. Hubs grilled pork chops and made black eyed peas and I made cornbread and cooked cabbage to go with. Technically you're supposed to eat greens and I often do spinach, but I had a head of cabbage in the frig I wanted to use so we made it work. 

If you don't know what I'm talking about you might not live in the south. 

I played around with a winter bucket list and also took a look back at fall to see how I did. Remember fall? I kept my want-to-do's back then pretty simple-

Not sure why I made a list of the odd 11, but of the 11 I checked off eight. I didn't get my photo book made, I didn't memorize three verses (although I did memorize one) and I didn't make soup in my pumpkin tureens. I will definitely get the book made this winter, there were too many other holiday related tasks to be done this fall for me to spend a lot of time making a book. I'm not fast. 

Hubs and I tackled the attic but there's still more to be done there and we'll continue working on that job this winter. Good times. 

Moving forward into the new year, new season with a new list which I'll post soon. It's a work in progress. Like me. I hope your new year is happy and bright. 

Merry 2026! 

Grading On The Curve

Joining Joanne's Talking About It Tuesday today and The Quarterly Bucket List Bloggers

Summer is officially at an end (on paper anyway) and fall is upon us. I've put off revisiting my summer bucket list because it's a bit of a disappointment, but I also don't like to leave things undone so let's go ahead and discuss. 

I wanted an active summer and instead declared it the summer of the slug. While most of it was spent in a boot I still enjoyed lots of porch time, let hubs wait on me hand and (literally) foot, read books, went for boat rides wearing my 'accessory', wore a wrap to hang on a raft in the water, and spent time with family and friends which always makes for a nice summer. 

Sometimes you have to roll with what life brings, and this summer was one of those times. In case you've forgotten my overly ambitious bucket list, here's what it looked like-

I actually did quite a few things under what I consider the most important category-Family and Friend Gatherings. We had a wonderful family beach trip...

Dined al fresco with the grands here for outdoor griddle breakfasts. 

Had the most fun with college girlfriends here for a weekend. 

And we of course celebrated the mancub's birthday. 

I still haven't managed to get it together for a smashburger/corn hole party but I also haven't given up on the idea. We didn't have a low country boil either, but there's always next summer for that one. 

Under outdoor adventure we did fly kites while at the beach, but I didn't fish one time or play any mini golf. And I really dropped the ball under culinary creations. I mean we had some really good meals, just none of the dishes I thought I'd try. 

My daughter1 brought dessert on the 4th of July and it was patriotic but I didn't make it. I made peach bars instead of a cobbler and they were a big hit with everyone. We didn't attempt pizza on the green egg, but maybe this fall? 

Forget about health and fitness. I wasn't walking, wasn't allowed to swim, and standing on a paddle board didn't seem like a good idea either. We didn't visit a single Farmer's Market this summer, but since they run into October I hope to still get to that one. The lower patio is still artless, and while we had a nice dinner out to celebrate our anniversary we didn't do an overnight trip. 

A lot of things felt overwhelming to me this summer, and because walking wasn't enjoyable we mostly stuck close to home and hubs was a trooper. 

Onward to autumn..

Keeping my expectations at a manageable level this fall. If I can do a 5 K I will, but it's not going on the list-ha! I love the beauty this season brings, the way it invites coziness and contemplation and hot tea sipped in the waning afternoon sun. Fall is my favorite and I plan to savor it.  

'There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been."~Percy Bysshe Shelley  

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 621

Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here on Wednesday (September 24th) to share your answers. See you there!

1. Fall officially rolls into the Northern Hemisphere on Monday (9/22)...what's your favorite thing about fall? 

2. What's one thing on your real or proverbial autumn bucket list? 

3. Apples, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, butternut squash and cranberries are some of the top fall foods. Which one is your favorite and how do you like it prepared? Any on the list you don't eat? Which one have you had most recently? 

4. 'Fall is proof that change is beautiful' is a popular sentiment. Would you agree or no? Elaborate. 

5. Is there a spot near you where people go to see the leaves change color? Will you try to leaf peep somewhere this fall? Lonely Planet lists the following ten places as the best for leaf peeping...of those listed which would you most like to visit? 

Stowe, Vermont~Shenandoah National Park, Virginia~Columbia River Gorge, Oregon~Zion National Park, Utah~Tennessee/North Carolina border~West Virgina~Northwestern Wyoming~Wisconsin Northwoods~Northern Nevada~Ozark Highlands Scenic Byway, Arkansas

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

A Summer Bucket List

The calendar says summer which means it's time to revisit my spring bucket list and move on into this new season. This was my spring bucket list...

I kept it short and sweet and still didn't do all I'd planned. I did a lot though, and there were so many fun spring happenings that didn't make the list which means I pass. 

Not that it's a test, but I don't like leaving lists uncrossed. 

Go to a Farmer's Market...not yet. I'm adding this to my summer list because I still want to get there. We just did not have a weekend where it worked this spring, but summer's my favorite for fresh produce and lots of grilled fruits and veg. 

Tackle the attic. Oops. Nope. And now it's hotter than h e double hockey sticks up there so I think we'll push this task off until autumn. Pretty sure last winter I moved the task to spring and since I'm not worrying about it in the heat of summer I guess you'll see it again when autumn rolls around. Hi hubs! 

Kayak. Done. Once but at least we got out there. We'll do more kayaking this summer and nobody will love it more than the little brown dog. 

Dye eggs with the kids. Celebrate Easter. Host dinner. Wow, raise your hand if it feels like Easter was a hundred years ago? In reality just two months. Well, technically a lot longer than two months, but you know what I mean. 

Anyway, this one was done-done-and done and I loved it all. 

Write a love letter. Hmmm...I'm going to say yes because I wrote my grandson a birthday letter four days before summer rolled in. I think when I put this on my bucket list I was thinking more of the hubs, so maybe I can still make that happen. I like writing letters and we still need to officially celebrate our anniversary. 

Hike a trail new to us. Nope. I wish we'd been able to do this, but between the weather and my ankle we didn't get to this one. We don't do a lot of hiking here in the summer because it's so hot, but never say never. 

Host a Derby party. Yup. Whoohoo! It was lots of fun too. 

Pick strawberries and make jam...fail. There's always next year, and thankfully daughter1's mother-in-law makes strawberry fig preserves and always shares. 

Visit a garden. Does my daughter2's raised beds count? Ha! 

Probably not, but I loved seeing all her plants and look forward to tasting something she's grown. 

See a ballet. This was one of my favorite springtime activities. Daughter1 and I went to the International Ballet's performance of Don Quixote to celebrate her birthday. The costumes were beautiful, the dancing exceptional, and there's nothing quite like a mother-daughter day to bring the smiles.  

Spring was busy. While I only managed to complete half my list, there were lots of fun spring events that happened, but weren't listed....my sister and niece came out to the lake one weekend for brunch, the 'kids' moved out and into their own home, we had a whole week with both girls and all the grands in the house, took our first boat ride, celebrated a soon-to-be new momma, a grandson turning three, 41 years of married life, and more. It wasn't dull. Or quiet. 

Now bring on summer...

Linking today with Joanne for Talking About It Tuesdays...hop over to her blog (Slices of Life)  and see what everyone else has to say on this last Tuesday in June. 

Springing

Spring has sprung which means it's time to check in on the winter bucket list, and add some new to-do's for spring. Out with the old and all that jazz. 

Let's review. My winter bucket list looked like this-

1. Spend a day crafting each month. Nope. Nada. Zilch. Did not happen. Not enough hours in the day, too much going on, not inspired to pull out my crafting bits and bobs when there are already lots of extra bits and bobs out right now. 

2. Try a new soup recipe. I give myself an A+ on this one because the recipe I tried was so good and definitely a keeper. Everyone, kids and adults alike, loved this Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup-

3. Organize the laundry room cabinets. Didn't even try. There were a lot of things happening here this winter that were not on my list so something had to give. A whole house clean will be happening soon, so this chore can be a part of that.

4. Hike a new to us trail. We didn't hike any new trails, but did revisit one of our favorites that we hadn't been to in a while, and we enjoyed that a lot. 

.5. Read a classic. Done. I read one in January (The Good Earth), one in February (Wuthering Heights) and I'm wrapping up my March classic now (Pride and Prejudice). I've enjoyed these books so much, and am in awe of the language. I plan to read a classic each month this year and so far I'm on track. 

6. Clean out the kitchen drawers. Giving myself a B- on this one. I got to some, but not all of the drawers but since it's a relatively quick chore I'll finish it up in the next couple of weeks. 

7. Celebrate Sugar's first birthday. Of course this happened and we had the best day celebrating our little sweetheart. I wrote a whole post about it here (My Tuesday Version of Hello Monday). And I always write my grands a blog letter on their big day and this is hers-Sugar Sugar

8. Buy something pink. Yes. I bought a pink sweater to wear to Sugar's sweetheart themed party. It was a little on the warm side that day (it was supposed to be cool and cloudy, not warm and sunny), but I wore it anyway because it was on point with the party theme. 

This is the sweater, but this is not Sugar. I don't have a single picture from her birthday where I'm in the sweater, but I promise you I was. All the pics I have with me in them were taken before I changed. Whatever, here is the sweater and this is Little Miss. Pink everything is her favorite so she is a fan of my sweater too. 

9. Choose Valentine treats for the grands. This one also happened. We were in charge of the grands the weekend of Valentine's Day as my daughter and son-in-law went to an out of town wedding. I bought some fun little things for them to have including magnifying glasses, sunglasses, little boxes of conversation hearts...that sort of thing. 

10. Write a love letter. Hmmm. This was a nice idea but I never sat down and made the time to do it. Love is in the air in the springtime too though, right? I think I'll add this one back in to my spring list. 

11. Stay on track reading the Bible through the year. Check. Hubs and I started the Bible Recap reading program Jan 1st, and so far so good. There have been one or two misses which meant reading double duty a couple of days, but we don't let ourselves miss more than that. We're on track and it's been really good. 

12. Bake the Southern Living cake of the month in Jan-Feb-March. I baked both the January and February cakes and have plans to make the March recipe this weekend-a Lemon Meringue cake. It looks to be a little more involved than the January/February recipes but I'm committed. Plus I have a houseful and somebody's gotta eat what I bake besides me. 

In summary I completed 7.5/12 so just over 60%, which would be a failing grade if this were a test. 

Except it's not, so I'm not mad about it. The first three months of the year have been uncharacteristically busy with many other to-do's that needed doing, and I wanted to roll with it. Here's to spring daydreams, fresh starts, and a brand new list-

Happy Spring! 

Hello Monday Musings

Good Monday morning everyone. How was your weekend? Ours was cold, really cold for South Carolina. We had snow on Friday which is a rare treat. It's come and gone now, but was so pretty while it lasted.

The temps were freezing and it was a really wet snow, and yes I know wet isn't the best adjective to use here, because isn't all snow wet? This was not the light and fluffy kind, so I didn't get out in it. 

Someone did though, and he loved it. LOVED it!!

He does an army crawl across the grass and it makes us all remember what he was like as a puppy living in the Pacific Northwest. 

There's something about a snowy day that inspires me to cook. Hubs and I started the day with blueberry waffles which are hubs favorite, but not something I make on the regular. I also made a pot of chili for dinner because that's in the snow day bylaws. 

Saturday we had some errands to run and opted for a breakfast date before making a few fun stops like filling up the gas tank and wandering the aisles at CVS. We came home and I finally cleaned out the pantry. I don't know how the pantry periodically ends up so out of order, but I pulled everything out, wiped down all the shelves, got rid of a few things, then put it all back in mostly the same place, but not quite. 

Change is good. 

Also reorganizing the pantry is a satisfying job to have done. 

I put a roast in the crock pot before we left on Saturday and the house smelled so good all day long. Did you come here today to read about what we ate all weekend long? If so you're in luck lol. I made the Mississippi recipe which calls for a packet of ranch dressing, and didn't realize until it was too late that the ranch mix I bought was spicy ranch. I didn't even know Hidden Valley made a spicy ranch mix? 

All's well that ends well though because we like spicy here. It honestly didn't change the flavor too much,  a tad more peppery than usual but very tasty. 

A pretty low key weekend overall...reading, football, watching the snow fall, comfort cooking, and a few small projects crossed off the to-dos. I finally made my winter bucket list, and always refer to my calendar when I  create my list to capture anything eventful I know will be happening. While we don't have any big trips or significant travel on the calendar this winter, the calendar somehow still manages to look awfully full. 

There will be grandkids in the house this winter and I might make a bucket list with them once they're here. I usually do one in the summer when they're visiting, so this would be different and fun I think. In the meantime here's mine-

So how was your winter weekend? Frosty? Fun? Filled with family? Do you have a winter bucket list? 

Linking today with Holly and Sarah for their Hello Monday weekend recap blog hop. 

Happy New Hodgepodge

Happy New Year Hodgepodgers, and welcome to 2025! If you've answered today's questions add your link to the end of my post then leave a comment for the blogger before you. 

I'm going to try a little something new in the HP this year, nothing earth shattering but a change nonetheless. I'm going to start posting questions the Sunday before instead of the Tuesday before like I've always done. The linkup itself will still go live on Wednesdays, hence the title-The WEDNESDAY Hodgepodge. We'll see how it goes, but this will hopefully give folks a bit more flexibility in writing their answers. 

Now back to today and the first Hodgepodge of 2025...

1. Oxford's Word of the year for 2024 is 'brain rot'. Are you familiar with this term? Do you suffer from the condition? Ha! This is a term used to 'capture concerns about the impact of consuming excessive amounts of low-quality online content, especially on social media'. If you were choosing a word to capture 2024 (for the nation/world, not your own life personally) what word would you choose? 

I'm familiar with the term and I'm not suffering. I've become fairly ruthless in what I click these days and avoid anything that feels ad-full, sketchy, spammy, scammy, mean, lecture-like, or just plain ick. 

Oxford's word is brain rot, but Merriam Webster chose polarization. My thoughts ran in that direction as well, and sadly I'm going to say 'divided'. It's not an upbeat word, but honestly I've struggled to find patches of common ground this year with people who see our country through a whole 'nother lens than I do. I keep trying though! 

2. It's National Polar Bear Plunge Day (January 1)...will you be participating in one of these events (or even your own)? How will you spend the first day of this brand new year? Do you have a traditional New Year's Day menu? 

I've never done a Polar Bear Plunge but we live on a lake so the possibility is there. Hubs says he's in if I'm in so I guess it's all up to me. I'll let you know. 

A few years ago hubs sister and her family were here for the holidays and Daughter2, one cousin, hubs, and his sister all took the plunge. I volunteered to photograph the event because somebody had to do it. 

As far as the meal goes, we do have a fairly traditional menu every January 1st that includes all the 'must-eat' foods...pork (the movement of pigs when they root for food is supposed to represent moving forward), cornbread (representing gold), spinach (green is for dollars), and black-eyed peas (for luck). These foods relate to luck and good fortune, which may or may not be true, but we like them so we play along. 

As far as how we'll spend the day...I love to watch The Rose Parade and if it's not raining hard hubs and I will get out for a walk/hike, then spend the rest of the day relaxing and watching football.  

3. What's something that brings you joy and how will you do more of it in this new year? 

Writing. In the words of Nike-Just Do It. I'm also trying to pencil in some time blocks on the calendar in order to be more intentional about it. We'll see if that helps.  

4. Do you struggle with the January blues? What's one thing you can/will do to keep them at bay? 

I don't really struggle with the blues in January. Usually come January I'm feeling ready for a bit of down time. A quieter month after the frenzy of the previous year's 4th quarter, which is always jam packed with activity, is appealing to me. 

Course this year I'll have grandkids in the house, so not sure how the quiet part is going to work. Stay tuned. 

5. Will you choose your own personal word of the year for 2025? What about a goal, resolution, or maybe even a bucket list? Elaborate as much or as little as you like. 

I'd like to have a word but haven't settled on one yet. 

I'm working on a winter bucket list and will share it once I get it together. My bucket lists are always part fun, part growth, part stuff I need to do and if I put it on a list is more likely to get done. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I'm writing my answers on New Year's Eve, and have spent the entire day (so far) in my pajamas. I cannot remember the last time I did this and let me just say it felt glorious. I worked on my blog, did some laundry, made a pot of bean soup using the ham bone leftover from Christmas dinner, and prepped two appetizers to bring to a get together we'll be attending tonite. I won't wear my pjs there, but I might be tempted. 

We're ringing in 2025 with some neighbors and this is my favorite way to greet a new year...sticking close to home, no driving, snacks, friends and fun. Wishing you all a bright, happy, and healthy new year! 

Powered by Linky Tools

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