J is for Jumble

 Moving right along into Day 10 in the A-Z Blog Challenge...

J is for Jumble

'an untidy collection or pile of things; 

mix up or confused in an untidy way' 

I'm pretty sure I imagined when I reached the age I am now there would be more blank space everywhere. In my home, on my calendar, and most especially in my head. 

But guess what? There's not. 

I remember being a young mom and having just an endless jumble of thoughts running through my head nearly all the time. Most of those thoughts revolved around raising children, because mothers are the keeper of everything and it all just pings around your brain pretty much on a loop. 

We're just us now, so what sort of jumbled thoughts can possibly need untangling in this season of life? Here's a peek...

Why does my back hurt?

Is 7:30 too early to put on my pajamas?  

Call my mother. 

Call hubs mother.

Where did I put that card I bought? 

Did I sleep funny? 

Is that why my back hurts? 

Are we free the third Tuesday of next month?

Did he feed the dog? 

Was I supposed to feed the dog? 

Let's go somewhere. 

Let's stay home. 

Did I take my vitamins today? 

I've done something to my back. 

What was the name of that book I wanted to read? 

Show I wanted to watch? 

Movie I wanted to see? 

Where did I leave my keys? 

Are my roots showing? 

The grandchildren 💕

Why does my neck look like that? 

Does it always look like that? 

Does this dress make me look old? 

Is this dress too young for me? 

Why is it so hot in here? 

Didn't the guy say I need new tires? 

Are my girls getting enough sleep? 

My girls 💕

What in the world did I do to my back? 

We need to paint the house. 

Buy a car. 

We need to stop spending. 

Let's go to the islands. 

Is that spot on my face something to worry about? 

I don't like driving at night. 
I need new glasses. 

What am I wearing to that wedding next month? 

We'll need a leaf in the table for Easter dinner.

and...and...and...

"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you."

Isaiah 26:3

Picking Up Where We Left Off

Sort of. 

When last we spoke on the blog it was the second day of a brand new year, and now here we are rolling in to February. I might need to jump in somewhere in the middle.  

I know many people dislike January, and there are all sorts of memes about how January is 85 days long, but around here we need a January. We need time to catch our breath, rest, walk, think, figure out our calendars, and come up with a plan to organize this new year. 

We have mostly succeeded. 

I mean we definitely rocked the resting part and honestly that was the main thing. 
We were tired. 

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home."-Edith Sitwell

January here means reading books and watching HGTV curled up under a blanket. It's calling a friend I hadn't spoken to in a long while and taking care of a significant car repair. It's scheduling a couple of (hopefully) minor home repairs that need doing and it's dealing with the small mountain of paperwork that accumulated while we were holiday-ing and not January-ing.

It's spending a low key weekend out of town, saying cheers to a new year with old friends, and then everyone taking a mid-day siesta because they can. 

It's a walk in the woods on a crisp blue sky day and a swim in the lake right after...

That last bit is maybe not for everyone but some of us live for a swim in the lake. 

Mostly January says it's okay to be a little bit lazy after months of non-stop doing and I'm here to tell you it felt good. Better than good actually because we are not meant to go and do without adding a little slow and easy into the mix too. 

Last week hubs went with some buds on their annual duck hunt so daughter2 and her little guy drove over to spend the week with Nana. Her hubs was traveling for work so the timing was perfect and I absolutely loved having my girl in the house. We might have gone to bed at a ridiculously early hour every single night, but we still enjoyed chatting about all manner of things throughout the day, sipping tea by the fire, and playing cards. 

Speaking of perfect...

Be still my heart. 

This little man is just so precious. He literally lights up a room, a day, your whole entire life, with his bright blue eyes and his gentle disposition. Wednesday we drove over to my sister and brother-in-law's house because my sister is also over the moon for this little cutie and needed to see him. 

Who can blame her? 

I was reminded this week how long the days can feel when you are momma to tiny humans. Life revolves around their waking and sleeping and you learn to let go of your own agenda and needs in order to first meet theirs. 

What a special joy it is to watch my grown up girls be mommas to their littles. To realize we're not just mother and daughter any more...

...we're mother and mother too. 

Hoping your January brought peace and rest, order and energy, stillness and warmth, to the beginning of this brand new year. 

Boy Oh Joy

I've decided we have two speeds here. On and off. Go and Stop. Busy and Still. 90 mph and 15 mph and there is no in between. While there are days I feel a teensy bit guilty about a lazy nap on the porch or a Saturday binge watch on the telly I mostly don't. Those slow down days are rare and necessary and add balance to a life that is full full full. 

Hubs and I spent three and a half days with daughter2 and her little man last week, returning home Wednesday afternoon. I volunteer on Thursdays which meant Friday was for catching up on laundry and groceries and online cards with my mom. On Saturday we waved the white flag and hung out on the couch. 

Not the whole day of course, but man we were tired. 

Baby boy (who does not have a blog name yet) is as precious as precious can be. Babies change so much so fast, and we are grateful to finally have one close enough geographically to see somewhat regularly. He had been to church the day we arrived, wearing this outfit his Daddy had worn some 35 years prior. I love it! 

My son-in-law was traveling for work early in the week so it was a great time to visit and be those extra hands all new moms can use.  I had (still have him lol) a husband who traveled a lot for work and I can remember how long the days felt when it was just me and my baby and hours to fill. 

So nice for a new mom to be able to have a leisurely shower, wash and dry and straighten her hair, and get dressed uninterrupted. 

We had a really nice lunch out on Monday and little guy was a trooper (aka- slept through the whole thing). Winning! And then his Momma had a dental appointment Tuesday morning and hubs and I were able to stay with the baby while she took care of her teeth. 

I'm telling you, thirty+ years later that baby hip sway comes right back to you. 

We had plans to run out to a local shop we love on Tuesday afternoon so the baby was fed, we got the diaper bag loaded, the baby strapped into the car seat, the car seat snapped into the car, and lastly the stroller collapsed and into the trunk and whew! Off we went.  

Only about half a mile though, and then we pulled over because there was a noise that sounded suspiciously like a nail in the tire which was indeed a nail in the tire. Bother. Their neighborhood is new and there are several homes still under construction so I'm sure there's more where this came from. 

Back home we went to unload the stroller and the car seat and the baby from the car seat and then I followed hubs to the tire place because they said they'd work it in sometime in the next two hours and they did. They didn't charge a cent for the patch either so shoutout to businesses who do small kindnesses as part of their everyday operation. 

I was so glad we were there to help with all that because it would have been a lot to do with a one month old in tow. 

Even one who smiles like this and makes your heart melt and who grows sweeter by the day. 

Time Well Wasted

Still A to Z-ing... and for some reason I have three different sized fonts in this post that do not want to be made right. I'm going to live with it. 

Day 16-P is for Porch Sittin' 

Time spent on the porch is never wasted. Isn't that how the saying goes? Porch sitting is high on my list of favorite things and it never gets old. We have a covered deck, a screened in porch, and a lower level mostly covered patio and I love them all. These are the places and spaces I nap, pray, read, have heart to heart chats, watch college football, dine, stargaze, listen to music, and relax. 

You cannot be stressed out on a porch. It's the law. 

Also, hubs and I are not the only ones who love a little porch sittin'. 

I'd post some current pictures but all of our furniture is still under wraps due to another P word this part of the country is famous for-pollen. Pollen makes my list of least favorite things and in the Upstate 'tis a season all its own. 

To make post-pollen cleanup easier we bring cushions inside, roll up the outdoor rugs, and cover the furniture, typically end of March through mid-late April. Then hubs gets out there and scrubs the decking and washes the porch screens and we pull everything back out and enjoy. We're preparing to re-stage this weekend and we're both so ready. 

While I love all the porches here, the covered deck is my favorite 'room' in the whole house and where I spend the most time. We have a fire table on our covered deck and most mornings I take my coffee and sit out there. We spend most evenings out there too because it's peaceful. 

Hubs loves to hang out on the lower level patio since that's home to our Big Green Egg. The view from that particular vantage point is not too shabby either. 

We have a TV and a fireplace on our screened porch which is just off the kitchen. Come fall you'll find us there most weekends watching college football. We have a dining table on the screened porch too, and eat breakfast-lunch-dinner out there when the weather is nice.

If there's a crowd we move to the lower patio and the bigger table. 

We've got options and they're all good. When people ask for tips on building a lake house we always say pay as much attention to the outdoor spaces as you do the indoor. We pretty much live out of doors here. 

Except during pollen season. 

Which isn't all that long and also isn't snow.

Even this guy will tell you it doesn't matter which porch you choose-

There is no wrong answer. 

About That Snow Day

HopeWriters hosted a five day writing challenge this week, providing a one word prompt each day (slow-rest-renew-spark-possibility). I wasn't going to participate because I felt like these prompts all flowed in a very similar vein, and I wasn't sure I could muster up five separate entries to meet the challenge. 

And then it snowed. 

Snow in our neck of the woods is rare, and while I know its not popular to say here in the southland, I miss it sometimes. While I'm grateful we no longer spend six months of the year worrying about ice damming our gutters or dodging seven foot icicles dropping from the roof like daggers, there are some things about a snowfall that I really do miss. 

I miss the hush that falls over our too-noisy world whenever snow begins to fall. The quiet stillness that hangs in the air reminding us hurry up humans to slow down. There are rhythms in nature and also in life and rest is one of those rhythms.

I miss pulling on my favorite pair of boots for a ramble through a winter wonderland. Trekking across a snowy path energizes me, recharging batteries drained of power by too many Christmas cookies and not enough exercise. 

I miss watching sunlight turn dead brown leaves to diamonds that shine with a million points of light. 

The colors of a winter day against the bright blue canvas of a January sky. Allowing nature to spark creativity through the vastness of her beauty and her silence. 

I miss rosy cheeked children and pups running wild with delight at the freedom found in freshly fallen snow. 

I miss the unique sense of possibility born when a whole day's plans are cancelled...

...and in their place you discover enough white space to think and breathe and dream. 

Linking today with Five Minute Friday and #hopewriterlife

Say When

Hanging on by my fingernails, but still trying to squeeze in 20ish posts before the end of October as part of the 31 Days To Telling Your Story Writing Challenge. It's going to be tight, but I like to think I work well under pressure. Today I'm going with yesterday's prompt because I like to keep you guessing. Also, I missed yesterday.

Our one word prompt-when

As in when it's time for a day in the life kind of catch up on the blog. That needs to happen here periodically or my head will explode from all the things.

So what's been happening here lately?

boat riding
wedding planning
porch sitting
football fanning

crock pot cooking
Neflix streaming
concert going
whole house cleaning

quiet praying
sunset gazing

dinner out
dinner in
talk in real time
soak up face time

neighborhood gathering
pickle ball playing
wine tasting
fund raising

reading
writing
and no 'rithmetic

We've been at home 23 days in a row which honestly feels like some kind of small miracle. We popped into the nearby small big city once or twice and took a leisurely drive over to Asheville one afternoon to meet up with friends passing through, but those were all in keeping with the slower pace that is our Autumn.

When.

As in say when you've had enough trekking and packing and busy-ing and admit you need a month to stay put, slow down, think deep and notice small.

Say when.

It's Tuesday

I felt that needed to be said, because when a weekend lasts three days it's easy to forget what day it is. That also explains why there are no Hodgepodge questions on my blog today. I normally write them on a Monday so they'll post on Tuesday, but I spent all day yesterday thinking it was Sunday so no Hodgepodge this week.

Let's talk about other interesting things. Like the weather! Ugh! Memorial Day weekend feels like the official start of the summer season which I guess is why we expect the weather to be lovely and summer-like. We're almost always disappointed. I keep reminding myself it's May and it's still spring so rain is the norm, but it feels like warm sunny skies should be the norm.

I remember when my girls were young we always went to a friend's parents house on Memorial Day weekend because we lived in Annapolis and the Blue Angels would fly right over her parent's pool. The water would be freezing and the skies were most often gray and cloudy but the kids would try to convince us it was perfect swimming weather and we'd let them swim because it really does feel like the kick off to summer.

In spite of the dreary weather, or maybe because of it, we had a really enjoyable, low-key, restful weekend here at the lake. Daughter2 drove out after work on Friday and made it in time for dinner. Hubs grilled chicken and made yummy margaritas, and we set up a taco bar of sorts. It was perfect.

We ate almost all our meals this weekend on the screened in porch which is my favorite thing to do. The lake is never not pretty, and honestly watching rain fall from the comfy coziness of the porch is good for the soul.

We've had a houseful of company all month long so a quiet weekend was definitely in order. Hubs likes the idea in theory, but in reality not so much. He can create a project where none exists. At one point this weekend I actually uttered these words, which I know some of you won't understand, but if you're married to a do-er like I am you'll get it..."Hon, I really need you to do less this weekend." 

Seriously, how can I stretch out for a nap with a book on the back deck when he's killing weeds, rearranging hoses, and moving rock??? Turns out I can, but 1% of me feels like I should also be 'toting that barge and lifting that bale' right along with him.

Daughter2's fiance arrived from out of town late Friday evening and the four of us had a great time lounging. I actually got the kayak out early Saturday, they're new so this was my first time in ours and it was nice. We're still waiting on the other one to get here because somehow the place we ordered from 'lost' the other one. Not sure how you lose a lime green kayak, but apparently it can happen.

Hubs took my advice mid-morning Saturday and joined us on the porch. There were a few pockets of sunshine late in the day and some neighbors popped over for cornhole on the back drive. We had steaks for dinner and taught the fiance how to play Hearts which was fun. Daughter2 and I both LOVE to play games, the fiance likes to play games, and hubs (once he's talked into the fun) tolerates playing games.

He did grill some awesome ribs on Sunday which is basically an all day kind of process, so while he did that Daughter2 and I played dress up. We pulled out my wedding gown, circa 1984, and I took pictures of her and marveled at my once tiny waistline. I was so in love with those Cinderella sleeves and seeing them again makes me secretly happy.

There's nothing quite like seeing your baby girl in a wedding gown, yours or the very elegant and beautiful gown she'll wear on her actual day. I'm so looking forward to that!

Sunday evening the weather perked up long enough for a boat ride which we all enjoyed. The clouds were impressive!

Monday the monsoon rains were back again. Daughter2 and I spent the morning looking at all things wedding related while the fiance took care of some work stuff on his computer, and hubs...wait for it... napped! in the porch rocker.

Porches make life sweeter y'all.

Before 'the kids' headed back to the small big city Monday we had an afternoon of bowling and burgers at a nearby place. I'm a terrible bowler but it was really fun and we will definitely do that again before summer's end.

Which isn't for a long long while because summer hasn't even started yet.
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Slithering Into The 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 your neighbor on the list because that's what good blog neighbors do. Here we go-

1. Three things on your spring bucket list? If you don't have an actual list that's fine, pretend you do.

Sort out new furniture for the screened porch, give my closet the once over, and reserve the church and reception venue for daughter2's wedding happening in 2019. 

You can't believe how early people book these venues. The planner at one of the venues I saw today told me she had someone reserve a date and they're not even officially engaged yet. Whaaaat??? You have to pay deposits when you reserve these sites and I can't imagine doing that without a ring on your finger. People are sometimes a little bit crazy! 

2. Where do you find rest? What restores your soul? When was the last time you did whatever it was you answered here?

I find rest in the early morning quiet, in nature, and sleeping in my own bed particularly after a lot of travel. Reading my Bible, journaling, blogging, hiking, a swim or a long walk, a hot bath with the lights down low, and a good nap are all things that restore my soul. These are all activities that quiet the noise in my head which is a necessary pre-requisite for rest. 

I had a nap on Sunday afternoon because I'm pretty sure that's the way God intended it. I try to ease into my weekdays with a cup of coffee and my Bible and that generally makes me feel balanced, less stressed, and ready to take on the day.

3. April is National Celery Month. Who knew? Do you like celery? What's your favorite dish made with celery? On a veggie and dip platter which would you reach for first-carrot sticks, celery sticks, cucumbers or cherry tomatoes?

I do like celery. Hubs has a thing about the smell for some reason, but he likes the taste okay. My favorite dish made with celery would be my mama's cornbread dressing. I also love celery in my chicken salad, but cornbread dressing is a rare treat so I'll go with that. On a veggie and dip platter I go for the cucumbers every time. 

4. I read here eight things to do before 8 am to make your day less hectic-Start one load of laundry, drink water, empty the dishwasher, read your Bible, know what you're having for dinner, get dressed, brain dump (two lists-one what you're thankful for and one what's weighing on your mind), and after the brain dump make your to-list for the day

How many of these are you currently doing? Which one do you think would help the most if you added it to your early morning routine?

I actually do most of these tasks, although not always before 8 am. I mean we're retired so what's the rush? That being said I do like to have my day organized from the get go and I agree tackling the items on this list helps. I rarely start laundry before 8 am and I'm not always dressed by 8 am either but the rest of them I can say I do regularly. I love me a good list! 

5. Describe the view from your window.

I see a dogwood in bloom, a squirrel at play and the lake looking still and lovely. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

So this not so little guy showed up on our driveway Monday afternoon. Hubs likes snakes and I do not. He likes to get a closer look and I like to go in the house and watch from the window ready to call 911 should the snake get feisty. 

Hubs informed me this was one of the 'good guys so I shouldn't kill it'. 

Um. Okay. 

Like I'd kill a snake-ha! 

He was about five feet long and looked like he was still digesting whatever critter(s) he'd recently consumed. Shudder!!! 

Where do you stand when it comes to snakes? Do you want a closer look or do you head for the hills?




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