September Hodgepodging

Welcome to September and 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. Next Sunday is Grandparent's Day. Share a favorite memory, photo, recipe, or something you learned from a grandparent. 

We've had a busy August so I'm trying to catch up now on some of the business of life that gets set aside when you have houseguests coming and going. Let's just go with one of my favorite pictures here for now-

My precious grandmother, known as GiGi to her grandgirls (it stands for great-grandma), but she was Grandma to me. Here she is with my daughter2 and the sweetness of this photo can make me cry.

We lived with her when I was a year old and my dad was overseas and my mama had an 8 year old, a 6-year old, me, and my baby sister who got off to a rocky start in life. I spent a lot of time with my grandma and loved her so much. 

I'm so thankful my girls got to know her and I had her in my life well into my adult years. I'm thankful for her wisdom, her prayers, her made from scratch dinner rolls, and her love. 

2. What's a quote from a book (besides The Bible) that has stayed with you? 

I could write a book with quotes I love from books I've read, and how do you choose an answer here? Pat Conroy is one of my favorite authors so I'm going with one of his-

"I could bear the memory, but I could not bear the music that made the memory such a killing thing." Pat Conroy in Beach Music

3. What's your number one food pet peeve? 

Someone talking with food in their mouth. 

4. What's one thing about you that is still the same as it was when you were young? 

I still love books, walking barefoot, sweet treats, and a full table with family and friends gathered round. I'm still an optimist, and it takes a lot to make me angry. 

5. September is National Preparedness Month...does your family have an emergency plan? Do you have some sort of preparedness kit you keep on hand? If so, tell us one thing that's kept there. 

We do not currently have an official emergency plan, but we are also not totally unprepared for an emergency. We've had plans in the past, mostly when the girls were single and we were all living in different parts of the country, but circumstances change and we don't have a firm plan in place in this house. 

It's become something we all laugh about (except me because I'm serious about this sort of thing), but my girls will tell you I give them some sort of emergency preparedness gift every Christmas. Everything from weather radios and fire starters to an earthquake evacuation kit for Daughter1 when she lived in Washington State. She was living there as a newlywed when the scary New Yorker article about the risk of earthquakes along the Cascadia Fault came out. The article was called The Big One and the title alone was enough to make me hit purchase.

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

My basil has absolutely exploded this year. I think it's loved all the summer rain we've had and it has thrived. My grands love it right off the stem and they snatch a leaf to snack on every time they walk past. 

I harvested a big bowl full over the weekend and made pesto with it. I used this recipe  and it is delicious. 

For dinner Sunday evening I sauteéd some tomatoes from our tomato 'tree' (seriously, it's a tree, not a plant) and a little bit of onion and garlic, and then boiled some pasta. I stirred the tomatoes and pesto into the noodles, topped it with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and it was molto delizioso!

It's also good topped with some shrimp or grilled chicken, but we'd had a big late breakfast after church and wanted a lighter dinner.

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 618

Here are the questions to our middle of the week Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here on Wednesday (9/3) to share your answers. See you there! 

1. Next Sunday is Grandparent's Day. Share a favorite memory, photo, recipe, or something you learned from a grandparent. 

2. What's a quote from a book (besides The Bible) that has stayed with you? 

3. What's your number one food pet peeve? 

4. What's one thing about you that is still the same as it was when you were young? 

5. September is National Preparedness Month...does your family have an emergency plan? Do you have some sort of preparedness kit you keep on hand? If so, tell us one thing that's kept there. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Nothing Scary About 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 playing along today. Here we go- 

1. When the Hodgepodge lands on September 11th I want to acknowledge that. Will you purposely pause to remember, pray, or attend any sort of ceremony on 9/11? Share any thoughts or memories you'd like to share about this day. 

I do like to pause, to remember and pray too. How can we not remember? That bright blue sky and the absolute shock and disbelief seem to hit fresh every single year. We normally don't have the tv on here in the morning but I will turn it on to watch some of the coverage of the day's events, and also to hear the names read. 

I'll pray today for the families whose lives were changed in an instant, and for our country which feels as if it has been in constant turmoil ever since. 

Here's something I wrote on my blog back on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 (2021)-

"Twenty years ago I was the Director of a church preschool and kindergarten located just outside of D.C. Many families in our school worked in the Pentagon or were Secret Service Agents so it felt very personal to us.  At the time we didn't even have a radio in our office so when we noticed our copier repairman just sitting in his car outside our building we were annoyed. Why wasn't he coming inside? We he finally came in he broke the news to us and life shifted. 

There is America before 9/11 and America after 9/11 and they are not the same." 

2. Growing up, did you spend a lot of time with your grandparents? What's something you learned from a grandparent? 

Not a lot as we didn't live geographically close to either set. They usually came to us on the east coast maybe once or twice a year and some years we went west, but not every year. We did write letters though, which I know is kind of a lost art in the age of email, but I looked forward to them. 

When I was a year old we lived with my mom's parents for a year while my dad was overseas with the Marine Corps. And then that grandmother lived the last years of her life with my mom so I spent a lot of time with her as an adult. 

What's something I learned from a grandparent? From my maternal grandma mentioned above I would say a love of God's word and the power of a praying woman. 

3. What's your go-to breakfast? 

In general yogurt, berries, and a sprinkling of granola. We do eggs at least once a week, and oatmeal too although not so much in the summer months. 

4. Tell us the story behind one of your favorite photos. 

I have a lot of favorites but the question asks for just one and it's this-

Not a holiday or a birthday or even a summer vacation. 

Just me and my first born caught in ordinary life on a sunny summer day more than twenty years ago. Hubs snapped this picture of us chatting on the swing at a friend's river house and it still gives me all the feels. The light is perfection. When I look at this picture I remember for a minute how it felt to mother my girls in those middle years. 

5. This week Friday lands on the 13th. Are you superstitious in any way? Do you like scary movies, and if so what's your favorite? 

I'm not superstitious at all. 

If scary means horror flicks then no, I don't like scary movies. I do like suspenseful movies and mysteries, but please no Freddy Kruegers or slasher films of any kind for me. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Hubs and I spent the weekend at our Daughter2's house and I always like to bring a little something for the grands when I visit because that's just what grandparents do. This time I brought my grandson a sensory kit from the company Young Wild and Friedman. 

If you have young children or  grandchildren, work with preschoolers in some way, or need a great gift for a niece or nephew, I highly recommend. 

These kits are so well made, and the packaging is top notch too. They're about so much more than just the dough, which is all natural and high quality. Every little detail in these sensory kits has been thoughtfully considered and is designed to encourage independent, imaginative play. 

YWF make quite a few kits and I chose the construction themed set because our little guy is in to all things construction. 

It was so much fun watching him set up various 'road works', carefully filling the dump truck with the 'boulders', and lining up the cones. The dough was almost an afterthought but he enjoyed that too. 

This is not a paid plug for the company, I'm just letting you know they have a terrific product. If you're not familiar with them check out their website here-Young Wild and Friedman. I will definitely order another for Christmas. 

Happy Wednesday everyone! 

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 568

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. When the Hodgepodge lands on September 11th I want to acknowledge that. Will you purposely pause to remember, pray, or attend any sort of ceremony on 9/11? Share any thoughts or memories you'd like to share about this day. 

2. Growing up, did you spend a lot of time with your grandparents? What's something you learned from a grandparent? 

3. What's your go-to breakfast? 

4. Tell us the story behind one of your favorite photos. 

5. This week Friday lands on the 13th. Are you superstitious in any way? Do you like scary movies, and if so what's your favorite? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Life Is Beautiful

One item of business before we press on...there will not be a Hodgepodge this week. We spent last week with our newest grandson and arrived back home Friday. On Saturday Daughter1 and her boys came out to the lake to spend a few days so whew! The Hodgepodge will have to wait another week. See you back for that on July 6th. 

Now where was I? I think I was saying life is beautiful and there is absolutely nothing in the world to remind you that's true more so than a newborn babe. 

Daughter2 texted us at 5 AM the morning of our anniversary and said to come on over. We had packed our bags the Friday before because we also thought that was gonna be the day, but false alarm. We loaded up the pup and made our way to hubs brother's house to drop our dog at 'camp'. He loves my sister-in-law especially and they had offered to keep Hunley while we were meeting the new little man.

Daughter2 and her hubs have a little dog and we didn't want to add anything else that needed caring for into the mix of a newborn, new parents, and a small dog about to lose rank in the hierarchy of home. We are so grateful we had somewhere our own dog could stay and play so we could focus our attention on the new baby (and his dog lol). Hubs was determined to teach him some circus tricks before his parents got home.

We got to Daughter2's house mid-afternoon then waited and waited and jumped every time the phone dinged and then we finally went to a local restaurant to celebrate 38 years of married life. Mostly though we were fidgety and just so ready to get the call. 

Which we did. Finally! 

Welcome to the world beautiful boy! Born with a full head of hair and cheeks that go for days-

Also, I have tiny daughters who somehow birth big babies. They are completely awesome. 

The dads are pretty great too. Just sayin'-

The new parents made their way home from the hospital the following day and then we basically spent the next week letting this tiny human steal our hearts. 

If you have grandchildren then you know you can indeed spend an entire day just sitting watching them. Many days actually. 

The in-laws arrived on Wednesday so we overlapped by a couple of days which was double the fun. They joined hubs and I in the watching and the marveling and the talk of how perfectly perfect he truly is. 

This world gets messier by the minute, but I hold a newborn baby in my arms and all the noise and turmoil just fades right away. I feel tiny fingers wrap around my own...

And I sit in quiet awe of a God whose design for birth is nothing short of a full blown miracle.

Midterm Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge! So glad you've stopped by today! If you've answered this week's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger linking before you. Let's get started-

1. Growing up, were you close to your grandparents? Tell us one or two specific things you remember about them.

For most of my growing up years we lived on the East Coast and both sets of grandparents lived out west, so we didn't see them often. They typically came for a visit once a year and we went out west even less than that. Back then families didn't hop on airplanes and fly here there and everywhere like we do now. Different times. 

When I was a year old my dad was sent to Okinawa and my mom and all my siblings moved in with her parents in Albuquerque New Mexico. My baby sister had a lot of illness that first year of her life, so my grandma spent a lot of time with me. My mom was just telling me the other day how my grandma would take me back on her bed at naptime and talk to me and then have me show off all the new words she taught me. Perhaps this is why I'm chatty to this day? Hmmm....

I know I loved her dearly and as I grew into adulthood she spent more and more time at my mom's house so I did know her well later in life.  I have lots of memories of her, but one favorite is the way she prepared iced tea by the glass with just the right amount of lemon and sugar in each serving. It was fascinating to watch and thinking about her homemaking skills makes me feel a bit lazy. 

My paternal grandparents had a farm and we absolutely loved visiting there, exploring the barn, and especially the ultimate treat-a 'swim' in what I think was an animal trough of some kind, which only goes to prove kids don't need much in the way of entertainment. 

This is the only picture my mom has of all four of us kids with both sets of grandparents. I'm the one in the orange dress and that's my maternal grandparents behind me and my big sister. My paternal grandparents are standing behind my younger sister and brother.  I must say my mom is looking very glam here! 

About five years ago I wrote two posts sharing some of my memories, here (Colorado) and here (New Mexico) if you're curious. 

2. What's an item you were attached to as a child? What happened to it?

My thumb. I've still got it-ha! Also my very special baby doll, the one I named Catherine and who I mothered to death. I think she's in a box of keepsakes I've saved for my girls. They played with her sometimes too. 

3. When you look out your window, do you see the forest or the trees (literally and figuratively)? Explain.

Literally I see more trees than forest, but figuratively I try to keep my eye on the bigger picture and what's important in the grand scheme of things. 

4. Do you like sour candies? Which of the 'sour' foods listed below would you say is your favorite?

grapefruit, Greek yogurt, tart cherries, lemons, limes, sauerkraut, buttermilk, or kumquats 

Have you ever eaten a kumquat? What's your favorite dish containing one of the sour foods on the list?

I love sour candies and many sour foods too. I like everything on the list except maybe buttermilk, although I like that too if it's used in cake baking or a biscuit. I've had kumquats in Indian food and liked them, but have never eaten one plain. Do you eat them plain? My favorite on the list is probably tart cherries, but I eat more lemons and limes on a regular basis. Lemonade, limeade, and cherry cobbler rank up near the top of my list of favorites. 

5. July 1st marked the mid point of 2017. In fifteen words or less, tell us how it's going so far.

Bit of a roller coaster, but always the happy knowledge a baby boy is on his way. 

Two words over, but it's the best I could do. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I made this simple dessert the other night and it's definitely a keeper. 

Super easy and so delicious, especially if you have access to Carolina peaches. You'll find the recipe here.  Note-I baked mine a bit longer than suggested but probably depends on the firmness of your peach. 




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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 314

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then swim back here tomorrow to add your link to the team roster. See you there!

1. Growing up, were you close to your grandparents? Tell us one or two specific things you remember about them.

2. What's an item you were attached to as a child? What happened to it?

3. When you look out your window, do you see the forest or the trees (literally and figuratively)? Explain.

4. Do you like sour candies? Which of the 'sour' foods listed below would you say is your favorite?

grapefruit, Greek yogurt, tart cherries, lemons, limes, sauerkraut, buttermilk, or kumquats 

Have you ever eaten a kumquat? What's your favorite dish containing one of the sour foods on the list?

5. July 1st marked the mid point of 2017. In fifteen words or less, tell us how it's going so far.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Hands Free Hodgepodge

Welcome to 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 linking before you. The button is still a work in progress, so don't worry about adding that today. We'll figure it out eventually.

And by we I mean my Daughter because we all know that sort of thing exceeds my tech capabilities.

Okay, here we go-

1. When and where were the best fireworks you've ever seen? Speaking of fireworks...do you know your hot buttons? The things people can say and do to set you off? When was the last time someone pushed one of your hot buttons?

All fireworks are the best, aren't they? Probably the best best would be those we saw our second Independence Day as husband and wife. We met friends in D.C. and the fireworks at the end of the evening were spectacular. 

As far as that other sort of firework, well of course I know my hot buttons. I don't have many, but you don't live five+ decades without knowing what makes your blood boil. I detest conflict and try to avoid situations I think might set me off because I hate feeling angry.

Last time one was pushed it was probably a minor disagreement with hubs, because we're married and I can't avoid him. teehee. 

2. Have you hosted any outdoor summer parties this year? Attended any? What makes for a great outdoor party?

Everyday's a party here. Ha! Not really, but kinda. It's summertime on the lake so we're living outside and people are always coming and going. I don't think you need a lot in terms of making an outdoor party great...nice weather of course, citronella candles to keep the bugs at bay, casual dining under the stars, and music in the air works for me. 

3. What does freedom mean to you?

Freedom to me means choice. We're so fortunate to live in a country that, while governed by law, still grants us a tremendous amount of freedom. We can speak, worship, gather, vote and more as we choose. I also feel like with every conversation we have about freedom we need another about responsibility. While we're free for the most part to make our own choices, we are not free from the consequences of those choices. 

4. July is National Cell Phone Courtesy month...what annoys you most about people's cell phone habits?

My biggest pet peeve is a cell phone at the dinner table, either at home or in a restaurant. Unless you're performing heart transplants or something similar there's nothing that can't wait until after a meal. 

5. What's your current summer anthem?

Not so much an anthem, but definitely a song I am loving and have on repeat quite a lot. It's upbeat and there's something about the picture it paints in my head that makes me think of summertime and the boy I married. Hey hubs...''...make me your country bride, you'll be my prince of tides...'  



6. Insert your own random thought here.

 In less than a month we welcome our first grandchild, a baby boy we will love and adore. We'll celebrate his birth and all the days after as our family grows and changes to welcome a new little life. 

My father-in-law passed away this week. He and my mother-in-law were married more than 60 years and their lives have been a wonderful example of persevering through all the joys and trials life brings. Together they raised four children and from Day1 embraced all the in-law children as their own.  

My father-in-law was a wonderful grandfather who thought my girls hung the moon and told them so every chance he got. This week we'll celebrate his life and remember all the days that came before as our family grieves the loss of one who loved us well and was so well- loved in return. 

 "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven." ECC 3: 1

Love Is In The Details

Strap in. I've got pictures and shower details of which there are toomany.

family in the house

Daughter1's baby shower was on Sunday, and I might have had a little too much fun with the planning and the Pinteresting. In my defense she's a detail girl and relishes all the small touches. Since she didn't find out the baby's gender until three days before the shower we kept it neutral.

If you saw pics from her wedding you'll know she loves that natural woodland palette of creams, tans, and greens so keeping it neutral wasn't hard. The theme was Welcome Little Lamb and there was an abundance of sheep in the decor.  I will link to all the Etsy vendors at the bottom of this post because Etsy is pure awesomeness.

My mom got to town a week ago Tuesday and stayed with me for a few days, helping with the shower cooking and listening to me talk endlessly about how in the world I was going to arrange the tables and chairs. We were serving a brunchy kind of lunch, and since I always like a table for my glass and plate when I attend these types of events I decided to rent tables and chairs, and move some furniture.

I didn't break that last bit to hubs until late in the game, and he took some convincing, but once he's on board with a plan he is all in and was an enormous help. We had three tables of eight, plus a table for dessert and drinks.

I put all the food on my kitchen island and served buffet style. A local florist made gorgeous arrangements for the tables in shades of green and white using these precious hobnail vases, and then a larger arrangement for a side table where I set the guest book.

Daughter1 loved Are You My Mother from the time she could talk so I knew I wanted to use that for her guest book. She has some sweet messages written by her guests inside the front and back covers.

I also asked the florist to make my girl a flower crown for her head because every mother needs one. She might be having a baby but she's still my baby, and I knew she would love this.

We moved a sofa table upstairs beside the front door to hold name tags and instructions for the reveal, plus our take home favors. I'd purchased a fun tassel banner from one Etsy shop, a small colorful Oh Baby banner from another Etsy shop, and a burlap flag banner adorned with sheep from a third Etsy shop.

I was pleased with all three, and hung the tassel in my entry hall from a big cabinet I have there.

The small colorful banner went across the dessert and drinks table-

And hubs hung the burlap banner across the barn doors in my great room so it would show in some of our photographs.

We did the gender reveal first thing, because some of us knew and were worried we'd spill the beans. I wrapped a big box and tied two blue balloons to a cute little lamb wearing a blue bow, then stuffed them under the big box and Daughter1 just lifted it to set the balloons free.

There were tiny baby bottles filled with blue jelly beans as a little prize for everyone who guessed correctly. Course I also had pink balloons and pink jelly beans stashed in my closet since I needed to do it all ahead and didn't know myself until the night before. It was a lot of fun to see everyone's reactions.

We served lunch after the reveal, with little lamb placecards (Etsy!) beside each dish. There were four kinds of quiche (shoutout to my college friend Maryellen for sharing her fabulous quiche recipes!), pickled shrimp...

...deviled eggs, chicken salad sliders, pasta salad, a broccoli salad made by my sister, and a fruit salad made by my daughter's mother-in-law.

For dessert we had the most fabulous sweet potato cake known to mankind and that's not an exaggeration. My daughter's mother-in-law brought the cake from a place in downtown Greenville, famous for this particular sweet treat (Brick Street Cafe).  It honestly is one of the best desserts I've ever eaten, and that's saying something!

That sparkly gold cake topper is from where else? Etsy! and looked so cute atop this gorgeous cake. My Daughter2 has a friend whose sister makes beautifully decorated cookies, so we ordered three dozen in our shower colors and they were absolutely gorgeous. Delicious too!

She did little lambs with tiny sweet faces, baby bottles in yellow and green, and little onesies, some with a lamb on front, and some saying BABY. They were individually wrapped so anyone who didn't eat theirs at the shower could take one home.

We played one game after lunch, a simplified version of The Price is Right, then moved on to the gifts. So many lovely thoughtful things purchased for this little boy, but I have another post in mind, and will save gift talk for later. This post is already longer than anybody wants to read.

As a take home favor for our guests I'd ordered wildflower seeds from Bentley Seed Company. They are a regular seed company, but package these specifically for baby showers and across the front there's a little poem -'Plant these seeds, and watch them bloom, just like our baby who will be here soon'. My mom and I packaged them in cello bags with a little green crinkle cut filler, tied with a green ribbon.

It was such a lovely afternoon and I know the mama-to-be felt spoiled and well loved.

Because she is!


Etsy links-

Lamb burlap banner-Quaint Confections
Tassel banner-Tassel and Twine
Oh Baby cake topper-Cuts of Confetti
Oh Baby -cocktail napkins by Gracious Bridal
Little lamb placecards-Vintage Hill Creations
Bentley Seed Packet favors
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