Farewell March and Hello Monday

Good Monday morning friends. Joining  Holly and Sarah on this last day of March, for their weekend recap blog hop. 

We had a nice weekend with sunny skies and pleasant temps. You know I always need to report the weather before diving in to any other topics. 

Friday kicked off with a trip to the donut shop. Until recently this particular donut baker operated out of a food truck, but they were so popular they opened an actual store. We hadn't been since they set up shop so Daughter1 and all her little chicks, plus the hubs and I gave it a try Friday morning. 

Their donuts are ginormous and so good. They're also known for their soft pretzels, but we didn't try those on Friday. 

We made a stop at a little shop I like that sells miscellaneous goodies like Adirondack chairs, lake signs, candles, soaps, etc. but didn't buy anything. Then it was off to a nearby park to burn some energy. The kids, not us. I can't afford to burn any energy these days. I need every drop. 

A pretty place to swing and play. 

The calendar is getting ready to turn so after lunch I started right in on baking the Southern Living cake of the month for March.  Hubs and daughter1 had to run out to the potential new house to meet a painter for an estimate which means there are no photos of the cake baking process. Making a three layer cake with homemade lemon curd, three little people underfoot,  and a meringue icing requires every ounce of concentration I can muster. 

The March cake is a lemon meringue cake which we declared a winner. The cake itself is delicious and filled with a homemade lemon curd, then topped with a meringue icing. In true to me fashion, I didn't realize I needed three 8-inch round pans (I only had two) so I went ahead and used my three 9-inch pans. It turned out fine, but next time I'll make more meringue so I end up with better height. Pretty and tasty nonetheless. 

It took me the rest of the afternoon to clean the kitchen. Hi hubs! He's not a fan of my kitchen messes, but does love the finished product. 

The cake baking episode wore me out so we opted to go to a local Mexican place for dinner. No more cooking. Plus it was Friday and I try not to cook dinner on Friday nights. My son-in-law had a late surgery so he settled for the to-go box we brought home. 

Saturday I drove an hour and a half to have lunch with a friend. She's in Georgia and I'm in SC so we met in the middle, in the town of Gainesville (GA). Neither of us were too familiar with the town so I read some reviews online and reserved a table at a restaurant called The Stag. The food was good and the restaurant was quiet which made it easy to talk. They also had appropriate decor-

I arrived back at the lake late afternoon and started packing for our Sunday morning road trip. Hubs grilled steaks for dinner and I made baked potatoes and salad and then we all had cake, much to the grands delight. The adults had sampled it the night before, but this was their first taste and they gave it two thumbs up. 

Sunday morning hubs and I loaded both cars for our trek to Daughter2's house in Tennessee. Eons ago we told her we'd stay with her littles while she and her hubs have a vacay so yes, we are leaving three grands and their parents in our house while we go to our other daughter's house to watch her two. 

Hubs and I agree we should be the ones going on vacation. 

They'll be home on Friday, but hubs has an event to attend starting very early Saturday morning and the parents won't be home until late Friday, thus the need for two cars. 

We're supposed to finally have some rain at home this week and for that we're grateful.  We are very very near the fires burning in SC and rain is most definitely needed. Authorities have arrested four teenagers for starting the fires which have burned more than 12,000 acres of beautiful forest, threatened homes and businesses, and forced people to evacuate to stay safe. The firefighters have done an amazing job and were not helped by the fact that there are still so many dead trees on the ground, remnants of Helene which the surrounding area is still recovering from. 

Finally, if you didn't see my Saturday post...I've signed up to participate in the April A-Z blog challenge this year. Bloggers post every day but Sunday in the month of April, using the alphabet as their guide. You can read more about the challenge in my Saturday post (The ABC's of April). The challenge starts tomorrow with the letter A so stay tuned. 

Happy Monday everyone!  

A Heart-y Hodgepodge

Hello loves. It's February so I'm going to use that moniker. The very young bagger at Publix called me love yesterday, and if she can do it so can I. 

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. Bloggers love comments. Here we go-

1. What area of your life feels like you're stuck in a Groundhog's Day loop, doing the same thing over and over? Does it bother you or is that just how life is in this particular season? 

I feel like I'm always emptying the dishwasher and adding clothes to the washer or moving them to the dryer or folding them and putting away. Those two household tasks feel a little bit like a Groundhog's Day loop, but I think that's life in every season. 

2. Something that makes your heart skip a beat? 

This saying can mean either excited or nervous depending on the circumstance. We have a double sided stone fireplace and there have been a few near misses with little ones clamboring around the furniture that sits in front. Definitely makes my heart skip a beat. 

3. Do you wear your heart on your sleeve or are you more of a closed book? Elaborate. 

I looked back at my blog and it seems I've asked this question four times now. Oh well. There are lots of newbies in the Hodgepodge who weren't reading here in 2015. Or 2016. Or 2022. Oops. My answer was similar each time and remains the same still. 

I am not a person with a quick temper or short fuse, but I do cry and blush fairly easily. I think it depends on the 'audience' as to how my emotions play out. I can act like things are fine and don't bother me if need be, but I definitely stew about things behind closed doors. 

4. According to Prevention Magazine, these are 25 of the best foods for heart health-

wild salmon, sardines, liver, walnuts, almonds, chia seeds, oatmeal, blueberries, coffee, red wine, green tea, soy milk, dark chocolate, raisins, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, whole grains, apples, oranges, grapefruit, avocado, avocado oil, olive oil 

Which five on the list do you include in your diet most often? Are there any foods on the list you simply cannot abide? 

Almost all of these are a regular part of my diet but I guess the top five would be salmon, blueberries, coffee, apples, and oranges. The only thing on the list I don't eat is liver. I despised it as a child, couldn't even stand the smell of it, and I've never gotten over it. My parents liked liver and onions but blech. Not for me. It's one of the very few foods I don't eat. 

5. What was the last piece of furniture you bought? Is there a piece of furniture you need/want to purchase this year? 

We purchased a lot of outdoor furniture for the patio and new outdoor dining spot, all of which was delivered last week. There are pictures in Monday's post found here-Weekending. We also added a new sofa to the pool table room to coordinate with what's outside. Trying to make these space flow together for entertaining. 

The next thing we'd like to buy (or re-do) is our family room couch. We want to reconfigure the furniture layout and it will all be a lot so not happening this year. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

He's not spoiled at all...

And by he I mean the little brown dog. 

We've had a couple of beautiful days weather wise and we're all soaking up some vitamin D in the hopes it knocks out whatever germs are lingering. 

Tuesday was a s'mores kind of day. True story-I'm not a huge fan of s'mores. 

I like all of the components on their own (especially the toasted marshmallow), but when you put them together they're too much. What about you? Love 'em or no thanks? 

Have a great day everyone! 

A Juicy Hodgepodge

Actually it's not that juicy but I needed a title. Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. So glad you've decided to join the fun here today. Add your link at the end of my post, and be sure to leave a comment for the blogger before you. That's what good neighbors do. Here we go-

1. What was your after school routine like when you were a kid? 

If we're talking about elementary school then life was simple. We walked home with our friends, my mom would give us a snack and we'd chat about our day, and then I think we mostly played, rode bikes, that sort of thing until dinner. 

I don't think we had a lot of homework in elementary school, at least not the early years. I do remember a lot of homework in sixth grade, which was still part of elementary school where I grew up. My mom worked part time as a librarian when we got a little older, but I think it was only on Tuesdays we let ourselves in. I had my younger sister with me so wasn't alone, and it wasn't for long. 

There weren't a ton of activities. That's me on the left and my younger sister on the right. Is she holding my hand or is she trying to place herself in front of me in the photo. You decide lol. I was a brownie and girl scout and took ballet but other than that life revolved mostly around the kids in the neighborhood (of which there were many), activities and church, and lots of imaginative play both indoors and out. 

When I was 13 I started babysitting for an hour or two right after school for the little girl across the street. Her dad got home sometime between 4 and 5, but her mom was a nurse and left for her shift around 3, so it was an easy job. Plus the people were great to me and the little girl was a sweetheart. 

2. January 26 is National Green Juice Day ( I guess it's true everything really does have it's day). Do you juice, as in make your own in an attempt to get healthy? Do you do the green juices? What's your favorite kind of juice (home blended or store bought, either one)? 

I don't juice and we don't have a juice bar in our town. It feels like a lot of fuss to do at home. I like juice but haven't really investigated the green varieties. My favorite  is cranberry. 

3. What's something trivial about which you have a strong opinion? 

How my groceries are bagged. Hubs gets annoyed at how over the top I am when I put the items on the belt, but I know some of the baggers load them as they come, and I do my best to prevent nonsense from happening. Put all the cold items with the cold items. Don't put milk and ten cans of something in a single flimsy bag. f

And yes, I know this is an absolute first world problem. I will say my daughter was shocked at the total when we checked out on Sunday. 

4. What do you need more of in your life? Less of? 

More of? Jesus

Less of? Dust and dog hair. Not very deep I know, but keeping it real. I've been off my game for the past week, have a houseful of people, and hubs (chief vacuum-er here) has been away so ugh. The floors need attention. 

5. Give us three adjectives to describe your January.

cold (original, right?), reset (mostly used as a verb I know, but it fits my January), and mellifluous (your word of the day)

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Fire + water for a January win...

Happy Wednesday everyone! 

The Weekend Roundup

It's a two-fer today...linking with both Hello Monday (Holly and Sarah) and also with several bloggers who host a once a month hop called Share Our Lives. I'll add their buttons at the end of this post. 

First, the weekend. Let's discuss. It was gorgeous. Saturday and Sunday both were all day sunshine and low humidity which is my favorite. 

We had two neighbor couples over Saturday night for drinks and s'mores around the firepit. It's so hot and humid here in the summertime that we rarely have a fire then, but this springtime weather was made for one. I had the traditional Hershey bar option, but also bought some of the thin Reeses (have you seen these? oh my!) and nutella for anyone who wanted to spread that on their graham cracker before adding the marshnallow. Hubs made mine because he toasts them to perfection and I tend to get impatient and end up charred.  

Friends we hadn't seen in a while invited us to their club for a Mother's Day brunch and we had a nice time catching up. We came home to find our magnolia blooming -

We have a pygmy magnolia which won't get as tall as other varieties, but the blooms are still large and spectacular. After brunch we took our inaugural boat ride of the season.

We love to see what all has been going on around the lake during the winter months. This picture makes it look like I know what I'm doing-

Which I do as long as all the planets are correctly aligned. They were. Normally you'll find me here-

Hubs made smashburgers for dinner and they were so good. We followed this recipe and it's a keeper. 

We don't have one of those fancy smash tools, but hubs chef spatula, which he's owned for forty years, worked just fine. 

And no, he's not a chef. He just plays one on the internet. 

All this talk of food feels like an appropriate segue into today's Share Our Lives link up. This month's prompt is-your five favorite and five least favorite foods. 

I saw the prompt on Friday and have wracked my brain all weekend to come up with a food I don't actually like. It's a problem y'all. And then limiting my likes to just five? Also a problem. 

I saw a website saying the top three least favorite foods in America are anchovies, black licorice, and oysters. I love oysters and while I prefer red licorice I don't mind the black. And I like anchovies in some dishes so also not on my list. 

Other items that did make the list were fennel, mushrooms, capers, olives (what???), brussel sprouts, and coconut. I feel like mushrooms and coconut are two foods you either love or hate, there's no middle ground there. I'm on the side of love. 

After way too much overthinking my list of least favorite would be...

Liver and onions -blech

Kale- I've tried but it's just eh. I mean if I came to your house for dinner and you served kale I'd eat it, but it's not a favorite. I much prefer it in a salad as opposed to cooked. 

Tofu-no explanation needed, right?

Lima beans-I like them in certain dishes and I always add them to my homemade vegetable soup, but I don't want a side of limas with my meal. When my girls were little they absolutely loved them and whenever I had a babysitter coming they would get so excited because that meant they could have lima beans for dinner. Yay!! Rachel is coming! We get lima beans for dinner! I think they both still love limas. 

Sardines-  I will eat almost any kind of fish, but I've never acquired a taste for sardines. 

Whew! That was hard. Okay, now for my favorites. And these are just five of my favorites, but not necessarily my top five. Too much pressure. 

Watermelon-I love all fruits and could easily have filled the list of favorites with just fruit, but for the sake of variety I've chosen one and watermelon it is.

Popcorn-it's what's for dinner. I kid, but only sort of. When hubs traveled a lot for work I sometimes made popcorn my dinner. 

Steamed Blue Crabs- eaten on a picnic table beside the Bay whenever possible. I love a crab cake too, but sitting with friends around a butcher paper covered table where a bucket of steamed crabs are dumped and then picked is one of my favorite things ever. We lived in the Annapolis area for nine years and this is one of the things we miss most. Also what made us crab cake snobs. Just sayin'. 

A burger-cooked just right on grill with lettuce and tomato and a side of summer sunshine 

Egg Salad -this one kind of popped into my head out of the blue. There's something about an egg salad sandwich that takes me back to my childhood and it's still a favorite for me. 

So tell me what foods would make your love/hate list? 

I hope you had a nice weekend...ours ended with a four foot rat snake slithering across the yard. 

Fortunately for me I married someone who mans the grill, docks the boat, and loves to relocate a snake when relocation is necessary. 

1000 Pictures Are Worth A Few Words

We are in regroup mode here today after a week away spoiling our newborn grandson, then a week at home with our two older grandsons. 

We're tired. 

But it's a good kind of tired and we have nowhere to go right now so we're taking our time getting the house back in order. Beds stripped, sheets washed, beds remade, toys and stepstools and little boy dishes put away til next time, bathrooms cleaned, naps taken. 

Naps are important. If the beds don't get remade right away no big deal, but if I miss my nap it might be a problem. 

Having the grands here was grand. As always. It was a bit spur of the moment as Daughter1's in-laws were in her neck of the woods the weekend prior and she decided to ride back to the lake with them, and then her hubs will collect them this weekend. 

We're good with last minute though and never say no to time with the most fun little men on the planet. Even if they do wake up talking and go to bed talking and ask a million jillion questions all the day long and want to swim 24/7 and insist Nana jump off the dock seventeen trillion times and I think you see why we're tired. 

The forecast was for rain every day but it never really materialized so we got to swim every day. We do running jumps holding hands, cannonballs and wazknackers (Pawpaw taught the mancub that-sorry no picture)...we float and kayak-

and we swim under the 'bridge

Pawpaw (the human fish or aqualung as we like to call him) does tricks while my girl and I float on our water saddles and solve all the problems of the world. So good. 

Besides the lake we also spent some time at the pool-

Made homemade peach ice cream-

Colored pictures, worked puzzles, read books, raced Hot Wheel cars, transformed the transformers, facetimed the new baby cousin who by the way, can't wait to join the party-

Really. 

We fed the birds and some fish too-

We taught the words to some hand clapping games I used to play when I was a kid...Miss Mary Mack anyone?...

There was a boat ride-

And we sharpened our reflexes with lit sparklers lol-

We had the absolute best time roasting marshmallows around the firepit-

In other words, we had a blast! 

I think they had fun too. 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 408

Here we are again. Still? You know the drill...answer on your own blog then hop back here tomorrow to add your link to the party. See you there-

1. This week's Hodgepodge lands on Ash Wednesday which signals the beginning of Lent. Do you mark this season in some way? If so tell us more. Did you grow up 'celebrating' Lent? Is attending church part of your weekly routine? Are churches open for in-person worship where you live? 

2. When is the last time you sat beside a 'real' fire? Do you have a fireplace in your home? Wood or gas logs? Favorite thing cooked over a fire? 

3. Something that's currently got you fired up? 

4. February also happens to be National Cabbage Day. Who knew? Do you like cabbage? Is cabbage on your menu Wednesday? Of the following cabbage dishes which is your favorite-coleslaw (mayo or vinegar?), sauerkraut, cabbage rolls, cabbage soup, kielbasa and cabbage, grilled cabbage, bubble and squeak, kimchi, or haluski? 

5. Do you hang on to pennies? What do you do with them? Last thing you purchased for $1.00? Last thing you purchased for $5.00? 

6. Insert your own random thought here.