A Rosy Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week' s edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Here we go...

1.  How would you define 'the good life'? 

This is a hard question to answer, but in a nutshell I'd say the good life is knowing my purpose, having loving relationships, enjoying good health, a strong and growing faith, and the things I need. 

It's the feeling of contentment that comes from being grounded in those things. 

2.  What's the most used app on your phone (and are you proud of that)? 

I checked my phone to confirm, but my most used app is Notes. I jot all sorts of things I want to remember there, and have headings like local sites, books, shows, blog ideas, restaurants, travel tips, quotes and more. I also have a note where I drop song titles in my efforts to create a top 100 playlist. I'm getting there. 

Am I proud of it? I wouldn't say I'm proud because how often I use an app doesn't feel like something that engenders pride. That being said,  I'm not embarrassed either, which feels like a distinct possibility with some of the apps out there. 

3. 'Every rose has it's thorn', 'everything's coming up roses', 'looking through rose-colored glasses', 'it's no bed of roses' or 'stop and smell the roses'...which rose idiom best relates to something in your life currently. Explain. 

When I look at the June calendar I see a little dot on every day of the month, but two. Some of the dots mark appointments, some mark events happening on a given day, some mean houseguests are coming and/or going, and all that to say it's a busy month. Good busy, but busy nonetheless. I want to make sure I take time to 'stop and smell the roses' and I will. 

4. How do you feel about floral flavorings in food or drink (rose, hibiscus, elderflower, lavender)? 

Not a fan, particularly of anything with rose flavoring added. I don't mind elderflower if it's not too heavy. 

5. Over the course of your life what have you probably spent more time pondering than anything else? 

What does God want me to do, and am I doing it? 

This question shapes how I view my purpose, how I spend my time and resources, how I make decisions, and how I relate to others in my role as daughter, friend, parent, grandparent, and a partner to my husband in marriage. There is no area of my life left untouched when I ask this question. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Tuesday was Primary Day in the Palmetto State. Do you vote in the primaries? When you vote do you research the candidates or go in blind and make your best guess? 

I open the sample ballot and then I make hubs and I little cheat sheets to take with us. If there are questions on a ballot I like to read those ahead of time. We're electing a new governor this year, and a senator, and then some state/local offices too and I want to know who I'm voting for. 

Someone running for state representative knocked on our door the other day and we looked him up because we were impressed by his effort. 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 657

Here are the questions to this week' s Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then hop back here on Wednesday (June 10th) to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1.  How would you define 'the good life'? 

2.  What's the most used app on your phone (and are you proud of that)? 

3. 'Every rose has it's thorn', 'everything's coming up roses', 'looking through rose-colored glasses', 'it's no bed of roses' or 'stop and smell the roses'...which rose idiom best relates to something in your life currently. Explain. 

4. How do you feel about floral flavorings in food or drink (rose, hibiscus, elderflower, lavender)? 

5. Over the course of your life what have you probably spent more time pondering than anything else? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Weekend ReKap

I know I'm supposed to blog the letter K today, but my thoughts on the word I've chosen for that particular letter might run long, so I'm flipping the alphabet on it's head. 

Letter L today, letter K tomorrow. 

It's my blog and I'm the boss of me. 

You'll find my A to Z Blog Challenge entry for the letter L somewhere in this post. I can't say exactly where because it's a blog as you go kind of day.

Linking this post with Holly (Pink Lady) and Sarah (Sunshine and Books) for their regularly scheduled Hello Monday party. Here we go-

Friday morning I spent a few hours with my daughter1 at her house. The kids played quietly upstairs and I conned her into straightening my hair. My girls know how much I love for them to do this for me and she took her time and I think actually enjoyed it a little. We were able to chat about all manner of things while she worked and it was such a nice relaxed morning. Very spa like. 

Friday afternoon I played mah jong at a neighbor's house with about ten other women and that's always fun. I got home about five and hubs and I went for sushi which was delish. 

We came home and watched the Artemis coverage. I was almost hyperventilating waiting on those divers to get them out of that capsule. That felt more stressful than ten days in space to me. All that bobbing 🤢

Did you follow the space story last week? I thought it was exciting and I loved the astronauts boldly pointing to Jesus...'there are no atheists in foxholes and there are none on rockets either'. 

Saturday morning I was up early, got my car loaded, and was on the road by 7:15  to make the drive over the mountain to the Asheville area. I was meeting up with some bloggers for the day, only one of whom I'd met in person before. 

They were staying in a little air bnb and there was supposed to be five bloggers there, but Jenn ended up not feeling well Friday morning so she didn't make the trip. Boo. I met Marilyn in Chattanooga back in September and she mentioned they might come my direction this year. Once the location was decided she messaged asking if I'd like to drive over and join them on Saturday, which was an easy yes. 

Have you met any bloggers in person? I've met about a dozen now and all of these meet ups have been so nice. Everyone was exactly who they seemed to be on their blog and that's reassuring. This weekend it was Marilyn (Memphis Bridges), Joanne (Slices of Life), Maria (Memorable Moments and Modest Missives), and Tanya (The Other Side of the Road). 

All of these bloggers participate in the Wednesday Hodgepodge and it was so much fun to meet in real life. The day was full of talking, and really what more would you expect from a group of people who love words? 

I arrived about 8:30 with a quiche and a coffee cake and we all had breakfast together. The morning flew and it was almost 1 PM before we looked at the clock and decided we needed to get out of the house. We drove just a few minutes down the road, or rather up the road and around and around as the route to the overlook was winding and steep. 

Gotta take in the view when you're surrounded by the Blue Ridge.  

We snapped some pictures, then took a short walk on a path through the woods and then everyone was hot and needed ice cream. 

We went to a spot called Celtic Creamery and the ice cream was really good. The original Celtic Creamery is in Ireland but they have a few shops here in America too, all in North Carolina. After ice cream we walked down main street and wandered in to a couple of shops, including Mast General which is always a fun stop. 

We headed back to the house about 5 and I said my goodbyes and headed for home. Such a great day! 

Hubs had a busy day too, beginning with a sporting clay contest, lunch with friends, and then the grand boys baseball game. Pretty sure he managed a nap right after. I was home by 6:30 and we had an easy dinner of pizza and salad and called it an early night. 

Sunday morning we went to church, then took daughter1 and little miss out to brunch. My son-in-law and the boys went straight from church to the Clemson baseball game so they didn't join us. Hubs and I spent the afternoon watching The Masters which was exciting this year. Going in person one day is still on my bucket list, so maybe someday. 

And now for tomorrow's today's letter in the April A-Z Blog Challenge...

Day 11-L is for Lily of the Valley 

My theme for this year's challenge is The Things We Keep: An A-Z of Ordinary Objects, and today I'm stepping outside my house and into my yard with these-

Lily of the Valley 

These started life in hubs grandma's garden in Bellville Illinois more than 60 years ago. Hubs parents then took some from that house to their home in Kentucky, then later to their home in Tennessee and then to another home in Tennessee and then a few years later hubs brought some of those to our home in South Carolina. 

I love the history, the family connection and the sweetness of these tiny blooms. We'll divide ours at some point and give to our girls to grow in their gardens and hopefully keep the love blooming for generations to come. 

G It's The Hodgepodge

Welcome to another week in the Wednesday Hodgepodge, and if you're keeping up, it's also week two in the April A-Z Blog Challenge. Today's post is brought to you by the letter G and you'll find my thoughts for the A-Z in the random thought space aka question #6. 

1. Egg on your face, putting all your eggs in one basket, a good egg, walk on eggshells, nest egg, or a tough egg to crack...which eggy idiom currently applies to your life in some way? Explain

None particularly feel like they relate to my life at the moment so let's go with 'a good egg'. 

My hubs is a good egg. 

2. April 7th is National Beer Day...are you a beer drinker? If so do you have a favorite? Beer battered fish, beer bread, beer can chicken, beer brats...which one sounds good to you? Have you made any of these? 

I've never been a beer drinker but I do like all the recipes mentioned that call for beer. I don't think I've ever made beer battered fish but have certainly eaten it many times. Hubs is in charge of brats here and he makes them using beer because our Wisconsin friends tell us that's the secret to a perfectly cooked brat. 

3. Do you have siblings? What's the best thing about being your sibling? If you don't have siblings, what would you say are the pros and cons of being an only child? 

I do have siblings, two sisters and a brother and I'm grateful my parents had a bunch of kids. I guess four counts as a bunch? Well I'm sure it felt like a bunch to them. 

The best thing about being my sibling? 

Dear sibs...You're my lifelong besties, my confidantes, my memory keepers and I hope you consider me the same. I always root for your success, and you can count on me to love and pray for you forever and ever amen. 

4. How do you feel about floral scents in products? Do you have a favorite?

I'm not a big fan of floral scents unless we're talking actual flowers. I particularly find anything labeled rose scented to be way too much. I do like the scent of lavender so that one might be an exception to my no floral rule, but so often floral scented products are too heavily scented for my taste. I prefer citrus and I suppose lemon trees bloom so maybe that is technically a floral.  

5. What's one thing in your home that begins with the letter G that you would say is a keeper, something you'll hold on to? Tell us why. 

I've used my random thought today to answer this question. One does what one must when trying to blog through the alphabet and also host a weekly link up.  

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I'm still at this A-Z Blog challenge thing (for details go here-) and today we've reached the letter G. 

Day 7-G is for a Grandchild's Countdown Calendar 

Today I'm talking about this sweet little countdown calendar my daughter1 made for us when she was pregnant with our first grandbaby, known here as The Mancub. 

He turns nine this summer but I hold on to it still. 

The months before he was born I kept this little calendar on my kitchen window sill and couldn't wait to flip the blocks as the weeks and months were counted down. 

Once he was here I kept the set on a shelf in my closet, until two years later when grandson number 2 was on the way. 7000 miles and an ocean between us, but still back to the windowsill it went. 

Not quite three years passed before grandson number three joined the party...

And then a few short months later our first granddaughter...

 And then another quick year went by and we were celebrating the arrival of granddaughter number two. 

You should know I'm in two different states, four different cities, and one foreign country in these pictures. We get around-ha! This little calendar has spent a lot of time on my windowsill in the past nine years, and now grandbaby number 5 is two years old. 

So do I keep it? 

Of course. I mean I don't know if there will be more grandbabies here, but I know this little calendar is a sweet reminder of some of the happiest days and years of our lives. 

It's back in my closet for now, and who knows? Maybe one day I'll gift it back to my daughter when she's preparing to welcome a grandbaby of her own. Wouldn't that be fun?! 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 648

Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here on Wednesday (April 8) to share answers with all your friends and neighbors. See you there! 

 

1. Egg on your face, putting all your eggs in one basket, a good egg, walk on eggshells, nest egg, or a tough egg to crack...which eggy idiom currently applies to your life in some way? Explain

2. April 7th is National Beer Day...are you a beer drinker? If so do you have a favorite? Beer battered fish, beer bread, beer can chicken, beer brats...which one sounds good to you? Have you made any of these? 

3. Do you have siblings? What's the best thing about being your sibling? If you don't have siblings, what would you say are the pros and cons of being an only child? 

4. How do you feel about floral scents in products? Do you have a favorite?

5. What's one thing in your home that begins with the letter G that you would say is a keeper, something you'll hold on to? Tell us why. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Not Just Friday Favorites

I've been out of town all week spending time with my daughter2 and her very busy, very chatty littles. They wake up and it's game on. My son-in-law was working out of town all week and having some extra hands in the house is a blessing. 

I'm linking today's post with Erika and Andrea for their Friday Favorites hop. 

I was supposed to drive over to TN on Monday morning, but that flat tire we had on Sunday ended up with me needing a brand new tire. My tires are only a year old, so super aggravating, and getting said tire took the whole ding dong day. I know I sound whiny but I truly am so thankful the flat happened Sunday and not on my drive over the mountains. 

They finally had the car ready at 4 PM so I got a very late start. It's a little over three hours drive time, but since the sun doesn't set until 8 PM right now I knew I could make it before dark. I guess I'm old. I don't like driving curvy mountain roads in the dark. 

I travel a back way to my daughter's house which is great because I bypass Atlanta traffic completely, plus it's beautiful, but it is very curvy and you have to really pay attention. As my hubs says whenever we make this drive together, 'you have to drive every inch of the miles'.  fyi-hubs was at home with the little brown dog so it was just us girls which is what we had planned. 

You never outgrow the need for mother-daughter time. 

I made it to TN just in time to jump on a Zoom call with my siblings. Literally I pulled in at 7:35 and the call was set up for 7:45 so it was a little crazy but it worked. Arriving right at bedtime is never ideal, but it couldn't be helped. 

That would be the kids bedtime, not mine just in case that wasn't clear-ha! 

Once my call ended D2 and I settled in to start our Great British Bak Off binge watch. We only watch one episode a night because actually our bedtime is not that much later than the kids. We're just now watching the most recent season which I think aired in the fall. 

The next season (not sure when it comes out) is going to have a new judge. Prue Leith is leaving and Nigella Lawson will take her place. We love listening to Nigella talk and I told my daughter we need a bingo card to mark her use of words like pungent, luscious, and unctuous. We like Prue, but we're really excited for Nigella. 

This was what we did every evening I was in town, once the kids were in bed. We settled in to watch the baking challenge together. We love it and it definitely makes us want to bake. 

Tuesday morning the little guy had preschool, so once we dropped him off we went to a nearby coffee shop that is new to me. They make their own pastries and they are decadent. We shared a cheese danish and a sausage and egg bagel, and Sugar thoroughly enjoyed every last drop of her cold hot chocolate. 

After breakfast we went out to the Carter's outlet to look for an Easter dress for Sugar, but they didn't have one we loved. I did buy her a cute set of overall shorts and a tee to go underneath, so not a wasted trip. 

Have granddaughters so you can buy all the cute clothes. 

We came home and while Sugar napped we watched more baking. We're trying to squeeze the whole season, or most of it anyway, into four days and we did a good job of it too. We picked up little man from school, played outside, walked the dog, and then had a nice dinner at home. 

Wednesday my daughter had arranged for a babysitter. We've not done this before but she wanted us to have lunch out and do a little bit of shopping sans kids. It was such a nice day. We love the babies, but shopping with your girl without having to keep up with little ones is a real treat. 

We went to the absolute loveliest home/gift shop where I could have bought a hundred things but settled for just a couple, and then to our favorite children's boutique in that same shopping center, where I did find a sweet Easter dress and also a coordinating shirt for brother. Can't go wrong with Beaufort Bonnet-

We had lunch at CAVA which is a chain, but I'd never eaten there before. It was so good. We both had bowls with rice and salad greens, grilled chicken, tzatzki, eggplant, and whipped feta. It was filling and neither of us needed dinner that evening.  

After lunch we moved on to several more stores including the J Crew Outlet which is almost as good as the actual store here, but half the price. We got back to the house about 2 and once Sugar was up from her nap we drove out to a nearby farm that also grew tulips this year. 

This is the last week to come pick and quite a few are bloomed out, but still plenty to choose from. 

 

We cut a dozen to bring home and the kids had fun feeding the cows. 

You could buy a small sack of feed so the cows were friendly. 

Thursday was another school day for sweet baby J and another coffee and breakfast out for us girls. From there we went to Wal Mart and picked up some Easter goodies, plus I impulsively bought some seeds and will see what happens. My girls both have raised beds and I got swept up in all their gardening-growing excitement. 

It was a beautiful spring day so after the school pick up we decided to check out the local Farmer's Market. It sits behind a plant nursery so we walked through and browsed their huge selection of plants, garden fountains and accessories too.   

I was sitting on the couch watching my daughter finish up the dinner prep Thursday evening, when I felt a wave of tenderness and nostalgia wash over me. Not that long ago (okay, more than a decade) she was my college student, home on spring break. And now here she is married, running a home, helping her two little ones grow and thrive, greeting her husband after work with a kiss and a 'how was your trip'. 

In this season we create our own version of 'spring break'.  Now I’m the one who drives to her, and we fill our days with playtime, little outings, doling out snacks (so many snacks!), books, baths, and all the small and steady things that make children feel safe and loved. 

It's not a sunny beach in Florida with twenty of your closest friends, but it's still a pretty wonderful spring break. 

Springing In To Monday

Hello friends and happy Spring! It's official and the pollen falling here confirms that. We have our outdoor rugs rolled up and furniture covered in a weak attempt to keep it at bay and minimize clean up. It helps, but she's a force y'all. 

I feel like pollen is a she. 

Anyhoo, the weekend...let's discuss. And link with Holly (Pink Lady blog) and Sarah (Sunshine and Books) like we do every Monday. 

Friday morning hubs and I ventured out for a mostly easy hike. It was cool when we got started but warmed up as the day went on. We followed what's known as the Oconee Bell Trail at a nearby state park and were rewarded with some blooms. 

For those not in the know, the Oconee Bell is a rare flower of the southern Appalachians, found only in a few locations in the mountains of South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. The bells grow along slopes beside streams and rivers and have a short bloom time (just a couple of weeks) which is now. 

Saturday this particular park was having an Oconee Bell festival, but we wanted to beat the crowds so did the hike on Friday. We pretty much had the trail to ourselves which is how we like it. 

This trail marker is very 'me'. 

The trail is a mess. 

Well, the trail is passable, but that recent ice storm did some serious damage and the woods around the trail look like a war zone. 

That blue sky makes it all okay. 

This particular park sits on the lake just above ours and it's spectacular. There are very, very few homes on this lake, maybe 50 or so, and it's just beautiful. It's popular with fisherman, kayakers, and waterfall chasers and the view from the ranger station parking lot is stunning. 

I snapped this picture from one of the docks where the water is about 15 feet deep, and you can see the bottom. Our lake is crystal clear, but this one is a step above that. 

We came home and had lunch and then hubs took my car to have the tires rotated and I took a nap. I'm overly tired from all the recent comings and goings and more and a nap helped. We watched basketball and hubs says I'm a little too invested in my brackets but I what can I say? I like winning-ha! I'm not but I'm tracking my teams anyway. 

Hubs grilled salmon for dinner and I made spinach and brown rice to go with, which made the eating on Friday feel mostly healthy. 

Saturday morning we had breakfast out then went furniture shopping. Without getting too deep into the weeds here, my mom, who currently lives with my younger sister, is going to be moving south, and we need furniture for this new space. Honestly it's hard. We're doing what we think is the right thing at the right time and I'm praying all goes smoothly in this big transition. 

The 9th decade of life comes at you hard. 

I was charged with finding some furniture and hubs went along for moral support and common sense. We had a very pleasant experience with the salesman and it was all pretty straightforward, so hopefully when the time comes delivery will be the same. 

It was 84 degrees here on Saturday and you won't hear me complain. I worked on some odds and ends paperwork that needed attention, and we watched more basketball because we love us some March Madness. I also read, worked on my blog, and did all the laundry that was in the hamper which feels like it should be celebrated. 

Hubs grilled burgers for dinner and I made a marinated cucumber salad (recipe here) that will be on repeat this summer.

It stormed just as we were getting ready to eat and we were rewarded with a rainbow-

Sunday morning started on a high note, with a beautiful sunrise. I snapped a picture from the covered deck and the reflection of the trees in the lake was so pretty and peaceful. 

We left for church as we normally do, but encountered a hiccup en route and almost missed it. 

Remember how I said we had the tires on my car rotated on Friday? Well we had a flat on the way to church Sunday morning. It's been a long time since I've had a flat tire, but I'm glad it happened close to home and not this morning when I would be winding my way along the sparsely traveled twisty-turny route to my daughter's house in Tennessee.  

Thankfully we were only a couple of miles from our house and about a mile from a gas station. A gas station who's air was out of order, which was a bummer. We phoned our roadside assistance and explained we probably didn't need a tow, just enough air to get us back home and they sent someone our way. He was friendly, quick, and tried spraying some foam on the tires to see if he could spot a nail, but nothing. Doesn't mean there isn't one, but from our various awkward angles we couldn't see it. 

Once the tire was inflated we drove just a few miles more to the tire center where the car had been on Friday. My daughter was already at church but said my son-in-law could pop out of the service and pick us up.  Conveniently the tire center was exactly 900 feet from the church building so said we'd walk over and they could give us a ride home. 

We left the key in the key drop and hopefully it's a simple fix because I'm going to spend a few days with daughter2 this week, and my plan was to leave first thing Monday morning. We shall see. 

We made it to church just in time for the message and then rode home with the 'kids'. As soon as they dropped us at home we climbed into hubs truck and took ourselves out to lunch. It was 88 degrees and sunny and we shared an order of fish and chips and a salad with a view. 

As we drove home there was a breeze, and if you're not familiar with the south this time of year you should know that breeze was a literal cloud of yellow dust. 

I put a chicken dish in the crock pot once we were home, one of our favorites that I make pretty often. It's called a mediterranean chicken (linked here). The recipe calls for you to brown the chicken first, but I skip that step and it's still delicious. I always make this lemon-cucumber couscous salad to go with and it's really good too. 

This has nothing to do with anything, but our amaryllis is blooming...

...and she's a beauty. Happy Monday everyone!