A Love-ly Hodgepodge

Love is in the air in 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 love-ly comment for the blogger before you. Here we go- 

1. Did you watch the Super Bowl? Did your team win? What's your favorite game day snack for  whatever sport is happening? 

I did watch the Super Bowl. Truthfully I slept through a fair chunk of the third quarter, but was really happy with the win. I grew up just across the bridge from Philly and the Eagles are my team. Hubs grilled wings and brats for dinner before the game and they were so good. My favorite game day snack would probably be nachos, which were not on the menu but are still my fave. 

2. What's your 'superpower'? 

Napping? Loading the dishwasher? 

3. Will you do anything special on Valentine's Day? If so do share. Any thoughts on/about this particular holiday? Share a favorite verse or quote relating to love. 

Daughter1 is in a wedding Valentine's Day weekend, one that requires travel, so we'll be home manning the fort. And by fort I mean the grands. We were invited to the wedding as the bride is a college friend of my daughter's, a sorority sister, and she was also her roommate in DC after college so we know and love her.

We decided to let the 'kids' have a weekend away and just enjoy their time together without us tagging along too. Also, we're tired and not up for another road trip at the moment. I'm sure staying home with the grands won't be tiring at all.  

A favorite verse-'For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.' Romans 8:38-39

4. Are you a fan of the rom-com genre? If so what's one of your favorites? If you're not a movie go-er then what about a book you love that features a great love story? How about a favorite love song? 

I like a rom-com now and then, but prefer legal thrillers, mysteries, or drama more. My favorite rom-coms are Sweet Home Alabama and When Harry Met Sally. There are probably others, but those two popped in to my head first. 

Books-The Thorn Birds would be one of my favorite love stories. 

Love Song-well there's no way I could pick just one. A few favorites are-More Today Than Yesterday by Spiral Staircase, Love Will Keep Us Alive by The Eagles, Everything by Michael Buble, How Deep Is Your Love by The Bee Gees, and for me and the hubs especially I Love You by Climax Blues Band. 

5. Let's get creative...write an acrostic using the word L-O-V-E. 

L-love is lots of things, including patient and kind

O-it offends not

V-values the other more than oneself

E-and endures all things

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We had our wine club dinner Tuesday evening and it was as usual delish. One of the courses was filet tartare with tomato short rib stock, soy cured egg yolk and pickled vegetables. Have you ever tried tartare, and if so what did you think? 

When we lived in North Jersey hubs and I used to go in to the city and we would sometimes go to Sardis and order their tartar. It was served on a fancy platter with all kinds of garnishes and was so good. 

While I neglected to snap a photo of the tartare I did manage a picture of dessert. Priorities, right? Dessert was a hazelnut crunch bar with nutella drizzle and whipped cream. Yum! 

Thanks for joining in today...happy Wednesday and happy heart day! 

A Poetic Hodgepodge

Welcome to October and the first Wednesday Hodgepodge of the month. 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. We all know comments keep the blog world cozy. Here we go-

1. Hey, it's October...what's one fun thing on your October calendar? 

We'll be traveling for a wedding later this month, we have a wine dinner on the calendar, I have a facial booked, and my women's Bible Study starts back up after an extended summer break. These are all things I'm looking forward to in October. 

2. Thursday is National Poetry Day...do you like to read poetry? If so, what's a favorite poem, or whose poetry do you especially enjoy? 

I do like to read poetry. Sometimes I try to memorize poetry and wish I'd done more of that when I was a little younger and my brain had space and ability. One of my favorite poems is  Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe. My dad used to recite it from time to time, and I always think of him when I hear it. I love the children's poem Wynken, Blynken, and Nod by Eugene Field. 

In terms of more contemporary poets I love following Laura Wifler on Instagram. Her writing is absolutely beautiful (@laurawifler)

3. Tell us about something you've seen recently that could be described as 'poetry in motion'. 

I haven't seen any ballet lately, but I have seen flowers dancing on the breeze. That feels a lot like poetry to me. 

4. What's one song on your autumn playlist? Do you have an autumn playlist? If not, pretend you do. If yes, then feel free to share more than one. 

 Songs on my autumn playlist are not necessarily specifically about the season, but they do tend to be 'moody' because that says fall to me. One song on my list?  So Far Away by Carole King. 

5. Share a quote that inspires you this time of year especially. 

"Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go." author unknown 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Spent Monday in the English countryside with our girl and her crew. A rainbow on the drive home made the sweetest ending to our UK travels. Cheers! 

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 571

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge, our first in October. How is it already October??? Answer today's questions on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to share your answers. See you there! 

1. Hey, it's October...what's one fun thing on your October calendar? 

2. Thursday is National Poetry Day (first Thursday in October)...do you like to read poetry? If so, what's a favorite poem, or whose poetry do you especially enjoy? 

3. Tell us about something you've seen recently that could be described as 'poetry in motion'. 

4. What's one song on your autumn playlist? Do you have an autumn playlist? If not, pretend you do. If yes, then feel free to share more than one. 

5. Share a quote that inspires you this time of year especially. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

There Once Was A Hodgepodge On Wednesday

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

1.Why do you blog? Have your reasons changed over time? 

I've been blogging a little over 14 years now, which sounds like forever. So many world and life changes during that time, and I'm grateful to have recorded my thoughts on those changes, events, and then some, here on the blog. I still enjoy blogging, still enjoy writing, still enjoy interacting with other bloggers. I don't think my reasons for blogging have changed all that much. There are far fewer bloggers now than when I first got started, but my favorite to read are still the blogs that give a glimpse of the everyday ordinary lives people are living. 

2. What's a typical Friday night look like at your house?

It varies. When hubs and I were first 'empty nesters' my rule was no cooking on Friday nights. Now that we're retired and everyday is Saturday (sort of) I don't hold as tightly to that rule. We're very often out on Thursday evenings and if that's been the case then I like to be home on a Friday night. 

3. Do you like donuts? Your favorite kind? How often do you treat yourself to a donut? Have you ever made homemade donuts? 

I like donuts but they're kind of heavy so I have one very rarely. Hubs is something of a donut connoisseur and would happily indulge every week. My favorite is a sour cream donut with jelly being a close second. The kind with granulated sugar on top though, not powdered sugar. I can't handle the mess. 

4. How do you feel about shopping?Are you an online shopper? Catalog shopper? Brick and mortar shopper? Do you order groceries online or prefer to select items with your own two hands? 

We live in a rural area so not a lot of big name shopping out here. Some, but not a lot. If I'm shopping in person I prefer smaller boutique type venues. I get quite a few catalogs, but never order directly from there. If I see something I want in a catalog I always go to the website, read details and reviews, hunt for a coupon, and then order online if I'm ordering at all. 

We don't have grocery delivery here and I honestly prefer to select items with my own two hands. Literally. Hubs says I need to touch every pepper before deciding on just the right one lol. 

5. Next week's Hodgepodge finds us somehow in the month of April, which just so happens to be National Poetry Month. Sum up (or tell us something about) your month of March in the form of a limerick. You can do it!! 

There once was a Nana to four

These children she did so adore

The whole gang was here

Twas a spring break to cheer, 

Til the stomach flu knocked at her door. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

My sister was in town for a quick trip Tuesday, doing a college tour with her son, and also accompanying my mom to the Palmetto State so my mom can visit her Southern offspring for a couple of weeks. It was a beautiful day, sunny...perfect for catching up in person. 

We're still us. 

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 497

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to share answers with all your peeps. See you there!

1.Why do you blog? Have your reasons changed over time? 

2. What's a typical Friday night look like at your house?

3. Do you like donuts? Your favorite kind? How often do you treat yourself to a donut? Have you ever made homemade donuts? 

4. How do you feel about shopping?Are you an online shopper? Catalog shopper? Brick and mortar shopper? Do you order groceries online or prefer to select items with your own two hands? 

5. Next week's Hodgepodge finds us somehow in the month of April, which just so happens to be National Poetry Month. Sum up (or tell us something about) your month of March in the form of a limerick. You can do it!! 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

There Once Was A Hodgepodge On Wednesday

Welcome to another edition of your weekly 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. What do you never get tired of? 

watermelon, popcorn, small acts of kindness, a bright blue sky, watching the sun rise

2. My mother made the best enchiladas.

3. What machine or appliance in your home aggravates you the most? Why? 

Besides the computer you mean, because that's a given? Of our home appliances I guess I'll say the TV. The remotes still make me crazy, I guess because they are basically mini computers. I try, but operating the tv like a computer does not come naturally to me. 

4. What are three things that brighten up your day when they happen? 

A facetime call with the mancubs
A spontaneous invitation to dinner 
Checking off my to-do list

5. Thursday (May 12) is National Limerick Day...write a limerick about relating to spring weather, spring blooms, or a spring event (five lines, the first two lines rhyme with the fifth line, the third and fourth lines rhyme together).

There once was a bird on a rock
His eyes on a chipmunk were locked
He swept in for the grab
The chipmunk he nabbed
His dinner he ate on the dock. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Who plays Mahjong? I'm learning and it's a lot of fun. I probably don't need any more games to play but this one requires a bit of skill so good for the brain, right? 

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 462

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

1. What do you never get tired of? 

2. My mother made the best ________________________________. 

3. What machine or appliance in your home aggravates you the most? Why? 

4. What are three things that brighten up your day when they happen? 

5. Thursday (May 12) is National Limerick Day...write a limerick about relating to spring weather, spring blooms, or a spring event (five lines, the first two lines rhyme with the fifth line, the third and fourth lines rhyme together)

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Taking A Chance On The Wednesday Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge and also today's entry in the A-Z Blog Challenge (scroll to question #6). Which by the way, is kicking my booty and the reason you're getting a combo today. If you've answered this week's HP questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Hodgepodge links only please. Thanks! Now here we go-

1. Find a penny. Look at the date and tell us something about your life or what you were doing that year? 

This is when having a blog is helpful. The first penny I picked up was dated 2016, so not all that old.  We were smack dab in the middle of our home build that year, and in April I was blogging through the alphabet with posts about building, but also about home in general. 

Which looked like this-

Time flies when you're having fun. 

2. Were you given an allowance as a child? Did you have to earn it in some way? Did you learn to save money when you were a child or is that something you figured out as an adult? 

I was given an allowance as a child, at least for a short time. I feel like my parents tried, but we might have had to remind them? They had four kids so I get it. We definitely had chores to do, although they were not tied in with the allowance. They were tied in with being a child and also a member of a family where everyone does their part. I agree with that philosophy and raised my girls the same way. 

As far as learning to save...my parents were wise with their money. They didn't overspend and they lived on a budget so I suppose I took that to heart. We were taught to put money in the offering plate each week and to save for things we wanted to buy because in 1970-something most parents didn't buy their kids the latest anything on a random Tuesday. We waited for our birthday or Christmas to roll around or we saved babysitting money/allowance money/birthday money to buy those things ourselves. We learned that want and need are not the same thing. 

I guess the biggest thing I learned was to work. Work hard, don't spend beyond your means, give to those in need, and save for a rainy day/emergency. 

3. April 23rd is National Take A Chance Day...what's a chance you need or want to take?

Pretty sure writing should be my answer.

4. What's some outdated slang you seem to use a little too often? 

hip (as in something is hip or not hip) is the first slang that springs to mind. My kids inform me if I use the word then I'm definitely not-ha.  

I feel like we should ask them to answer this one for me. I'm sure they could give you a long list. I like words and sometimes slang serves a purpose. 

5. It's National Poetry month and I always like to make us work our brains a little...

Roses are red
Violets are blue
....you fill in the rest with something original...

Roses are red

Violets are blue

I'm sick of Covid

Aren't you? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I'm going to use this space today for my A-Z Blog Challenge entry, and since we're talking money (sort of) I thought it would be fun to do some price comparisons. 

R is for Rising Costs and Changing Times

When Nana was 4...

gas was .25/gallon 
milk was 1.06/gallon
1st class stamp was .05
pay phone was .10

movie ticket was .93

When Nana was 4 most families only had one car. They wrote letters because if you wanted to communicate with someone who didn't live in your own house that was your best and most reliable option. Then you waited a couple of weeks or more and they wrote back. The world was in less of a hurry back then. Pay phones were prevalent and people always had a dime on them in case they needed to make a phone call. Going to the movies was a real treat and a much looked forward to outing

When your Momma was 4-

gas was 1.13/gallon
milk was 2.78/gallon
1st class stamp was .29
pay phone was .25

movie ticket 4.15

When your momma was 4 most families we knew had two cars. They still wrote letters because it was still the best, most efficient way of communicating with people who didn't live in your own house. Pay phones were still everywhere but now you needed a quarter in your pocket 'in case of emergency'. Going to the movies was a fun night out

When you are 4-

gas is 2.58/gallon and climbing
milk is 3.59/gallon
1st class stamp is .55
pay phones . 50 if you can find one

movie ticket 9.16

Today most families we know have at least two cars, more if they have teenagers living at home. A stamp? What do I do with that? Pay phones are few and far between but that doesn't matter because almost everyone has a phone on their person. 

Except we rarely make phone calls because texting is easier. We text friends many states away and we text family members who happen to be upstairs when we're downstairs. In the very same house. 

While theaters still exist these days we prefer to watch in our pjs from the comfort of our own homes. Sometimes on the phones we hold in our hands. 

"It's funny how day by day, nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different." 

author unknown

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 416

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then hop back here tomorrow to share answers with all your friends and neighbors. See you there! And if you're here for the A-Z blog challenge today's post will be up shortly. 

1. Find a penny. Look at the date and tell us something about your life or what you were doing that year? 

2. Were you given an allowance as a child? Did you have to earn it in some way? Did you learn to save money when you were a child or is that something you figured out as an adult? 

3. April 23rd is National Take A Chance Day...what's a chance you need or want to take?

4. What's some outdated slang you seem to use a little too often? 

5. It's National Poetry month and I always like to make us work our brains a little...

Roses are red
Violets are blue
....you fill in the rest with something original...

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Lucky You! It's The Hodgepodge

Luckily we are still Hodgepodging here on Wednesdays. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post. And be sure to leave a comment for the blogger lucky enough to be on the list before you. Here we go-

1. This week's Hodgepodge lands on St. Patrick's Day. Will you wear green? Eat corned beef and cabbage? Drink green beer? Have you ever been to Ireland? Is it on your travel 'bucket list'? 

I will wear green because why not? I like green, it's one of my favorite colors. I bought a small corned beef so will cook that along with the traditional sides of cabbage and red potatoes. No green beer for me as beer is not my beverage of choice. 

I have never been to Ireland which seems crazy because we lived in a neighboring country. Hubs has been a few times for work, but sadly I was never able to accompany him. It's definitely on my travel bucket list though. 

Are we still allowed to have travel bucket lists or does that seem like the impossible dream right now? 

2. Something you think is 'worth its weight in gold'? 

As much as I struggle with and rail against it I'm going to say technology. The ability to Facetime my daughter and grandsons half a world away is worth it's weight in gold. And even though I think we're all weary of dialing in to those Zoom calls, meetings, classes, and happy hours versus the real thing, this year would have been so much lonelier without our favorite familiar faces on a screen. 

3. Something that makes you 'green around the gills'? 

Boating. Standing for too long on a dock that rocks and rolls. Roller coasters that rock and roll. Rides that spin and spin and spin. Also planes, trains, and automobiles on winding roads. Sometimes straight roads too. 

I think  you get the picture. 

Yes we have a boat. And I fly and drive and do all the things, but I also take my dramamine, wear my 'bands' and have an escape plan for getting to solid ground whenever possible. I'm lots of fun-ha! 

4. What puts a 'spring in your step' these days? 

My people. We'll be seeing the newlyweds in person in just a few weeks and the South Korea crew returns stateside this summer. Just thinking about it puts a spring in my step. 

5. Write a limerick using one of the following as your theme....March, St. Patrick's Day, Covid, 2020 and/or 2021, the color green, or life lately. Yes, you can do it. 

An ode to the year that was...

There once was a virus so strange
Our lives it did rearrange
We sheltered in place
Wore a mask on our face 
And longed for the day things would change

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Because today calls for a splash of green-

Happy St. Patrick's Day Hodgepodgers...and all who read here too! 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 216

Here are the questions for this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you're visiting today from the A-Z Challenge you'll find my Letter E post just before this one. Letter F will follow. 

Eventually. 

Hopefully. 

In the meantime, everyone is welcome to join the fun here on Wednesdays. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to share answers with the universe. See you there! 

1. Besides left over Easter goodies, what's something currently kept in a basket at your house?

2. 'The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.' ~Michelangelo Buonarroti 

So which one are you...the one who aims too high, or the one who aims too low? Have you ever seen The Sistine Chapel? Did you know Michelangelo's surname prior to answering this question?

3. April 7th is National Beer Day. Hmmm...wonder how that's celebrated? Do you like beer? Have a favorite? If you're not a beer drinker do you have any recipes you enjoy cooking that call for beer?

4. When did you last travel somewhere new? Tell us where? How'd it go?

5. The value of _________________________is greatly overrated.

6. What's a pet peeve of yours when it comes to restaurant dining?

7. It's Poetry Month...share a favorite poem, either the title, a few lines you find meaningful, or the whole kit and caboodle.

8. Insert your own random thought here.