It's A Winter-ful Life

Hello friends and hello Monday. Linking with Holly (Pink Lady) and Sarah (Sunshine and Books) today for their weekend catch up blog hop. 

So. It snowed. It has been below freezing all weekend long. In South Carolina. Not cool. 

I mean it was actually really really cool, but that's not cool. We Palmetto people like our warm temps and life lived outdoors and occasionally a boat ride mid-winter. Instead we have an icy driveway, frosty fingertips, and lots of time spent at home. I'm not complaining (much) because I love cozy at home days, but I also love getting out and about, and we haven't had a lot of that these past two weekends. 

Wait. Friday we were out and about. Hubs and I had a date. It wasn't a day date, but it definitely still counts. 

Let's back up and capture the whole weekend. There was still a fair amount of ice around all week following last weekend's ice storm, but I could get in and out of the driveway without a problem. We had snow in the forecast so I re-stocked groceries on my way home from my volunteer slot on Thursday afternoon. We went out to dinner that evening with some neighbors we hadn't spent time with in a long while and that was really nice. 

Friday morning I had an appointment to have my hair cut and then my stylist also worked her magic to make it look sun-kissed. It takes half a day but it's worth it. I came home and got straight into some make ahead cooking just in case we had power issues with this second storm. The forecasters were calling for actual snow, and  didn't seem too terribly worried about power outages, but still it's best to be prepared. 

I made a pot of beef stew and a pot of chicken noodle soup and even though we never lost power we enjoyed these dishes all weekend long. I loved having food prepared and not having to cook over the weekend. I should do more of that in all types of weather. 

Friday night hubs and I went to a nearby venue to see the band Lonestar. Raise your hand if you listened to country music in the 90's and 00's and you remember Lonestar. Their biggest hit was a song called Amazed and I think it became a wedding song for a lot of couples who married back in those decades. 

Anyway, this venue is so nice. It's smallish and we were just four rows from the band. The seats are comfortable and parking for a show here is not a problem. I realize all of that makes me sound old, but whatever. 

We enjoyed the performance so much. They're really talented musicians, the guitar player especially. They sang all my old favorites, which took me right back to living beside the Bay, little girls in the house, weekends spent boating with friends,  and country music on the radio. Sigh. 

There are still three original members of Lonestar  with the group, and then two members who joined later but have been with them a while. The keyboardist was the 'boss' and he was funny and had a great rapport with the audience. 

Did I sing along? How could I not? Hubs used to travel a lot with work (always, but particularly often in the 90's), and Lonestar's song,  'I'm Already There' especially makes me think of that season of life. 

Where was I? 

Oh yeah, the weather. We woke up to light snow falling Saturday morning, and it grew heavier as the day went on. We ended up with somewhere between two and three inches I think and that's a lot for our area. 

Somebody loved it. 

Hubs took the little brown dog out to play and he ends up with all these little ice balls stuck to his fur which means he has to be dried and cleaned off afterwards, but he LOVES it. 

Hubs used the leaf blower to get some of the snow off the driveway. It was light and we no longer own a snow shovel so there's that. We watched Clemson basketball and read books and chatted, then had stew for dinner. After dinner it was Tennessee basketball and early to bed. 

Just like the Pioneers. 

Sort of like the Pioneers. 

Not really like the Pioneers except we are going to bed early. 

We knew church was cancelled for Sunday, as were I think all or almost all of the churches in our county, and schools are closed again today. I spent time Sunday morning digging in to the Wayne Grudem book I'm working through this year (Sytematic Theology). It's excellent, but it's not light and requires every ounce of concentration I can muster. A quiet Sunday morning was perfect for this. 

I cleaned out my dresser drawers and the drawers in my bathroom vanity this weekend, did some laundry, and hubs ran the vacuum so a few things did get done that needed doing. 

Mostly though it's quiet, beautiful, slick, and only 47 days until Spring. 

If you're talking about your weekend hop over to the host blogs and add your link to the party. 

Hello Monday Musings

Good Monday morning everyone. How was your weekend? Ours was cold, really cold for South Carolina. We had snow on Friday which is a rare treat. It's come and gone now, but was so pretty while it lasted.

The temps were freezing and it was a really wet snow, and yes I know wet isn't the best adjective to use here, because isn't all snow wet? This was not the light and fluffy kind, so I didn't get out in it. 

Someone did though, and he loved it. LOVED it!!

He does an army crawl across the grass and it makes us all remember what he was like as a puppy living in the Pacific Northwest. 

There's something about a snowy day that inspires me to cook. Hubs and I started the day with blueberry waffles which are hubs favorite, but not something I make on the regular. I also made a pot of chili for dinner because that's in the snow day bylaws. 

Saturday we had some errands to run and opted for a breakfast date before making a few fun stops like filling up the gas tank and wandering the aisles at CVS. We came home and I finally cleaned out the pantry. I don't know how the pantry periodically ends up so out of order, but I pulled everything out, wiped down all the shelves, got rid of a few things, then put it all back in mostly the same place, but not quite. 

Change is good. 

Also reorganizing the pantry is a satisfying job to have done. 

I put a roast in the crock pot before we left on Saturday and the house smelled so good all day long. Did you come here today to read about what we ate all weekend long? If so you're in luck lol. I made the Mississippi recipe which calls for a packet of ranch dressing, and didn't realize until it was too late that the ranch mix I bought was spicy ranch. I didn't even know Hidden Valley made a spicy ranch mix? 

All's well that ends well though because we like spicy here. It honestly didn't change the flavor too much,  a tad more peppery than usual but very tasty. 

A pretty low key weekend overall...reading, football, watching the snow fall, comfort cooking, and a few small projects crossed off the to-dos. I finally made my winter bucket list, and always refer to my calendar when I  create my list to capture anything eventful I know will be happening. While we don't have any big trips or significant travel on the calendar this winter, the calendar somehow still manages to look awfully full. 

There will be grandkids in the house this winter and I might make a bucket list with them once they're here. I usually do one in the summer when they're visiting, so this would be different and fun I think. In the meantime here's mine-

So how was your winter weekend? Frosty? Fun? Filled with family? Do you have a winter bucket list? 

Linking today with Holly and Sarah for their Hello Monday weekend recap blog hop. 

It's The Hodgepodge. Period.

Welcome to the second Hodgepodge of the year, the 584th edition of all time. That's a lot of questions, wouldn't you agree? We press on...if you've answered this week's questions add your link at the end of my post, then be a good neighbor and leave a comment for the blogger before you. Here we go-

1. At the end of every year (or at least since the mid-1970's) Lake Superior State University posts a list of words they think should be banished from the Queen's English for misuse, overuse, and/or general uselessness. You can read more about the decision making process here, but this year's list includes-

cringe, game changer, era, dropped, IFKYK (If you know you know), 

sorry not sorry, skibidi, 100%, utilize, and period. 

Which of these words/phrases do you use regularly or even just every now and then? How many did you have to look up? Which of these words would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word/phrase not on the list you'd like to add? If so do share, then tell us why. 

I use cringe, 100% and period on occasion, but wouldn't say they're a regular part of my speech. I had to look up the word skibidi. I've never heard it used or used it myself and it's safe to say I have no plans to do so going into the new year. 

None of the words bother me too much, but if I have to pick one I'll say I think era has become tiresome. 

2. Your favorite soup? Do you make this one yourself or is it from a can? 

I love soup and make lots of different kinds this time of year. Hubs would say my vegetable beef soup is one of his favorite meals. Good ol chicken noodle is probably my favorite. I love the way my house smells when a pot of soup is simmering on the stove, and a bowl of homemade chicken soup just says comfort to me. I make my own and that's my preference, but I can eat the canned variety too. I like Progresso's homestyle chicken and noodle if I'm having soup from a can.

3. How do you feel about winter? What's one winter activity you look forward to? 

I enjoy the changing seasons and don't mind a little bit of winter in December-January. We have some cold weather here, but it's rare for us to have snow. I miss it a little. Now, I do not like the late snows or a long winter like we had up north, but there's something cozy about a snow day where everyone is in and the world feels quiet. We may have some snow here on Friday, but I'm not holding my breath. 

I don't ski anymore and like I said we won't really have snow that amounts to anything here so not a lot of true winter activity. I love a walk in the woods on a winter day and we'll make that happen for sure. 

4. The Pantone color of the year for 2025 is mocha mousse (sample pictured here). What say you? The website describes it as 'a warming, brown hue imbued with richness. It nourishes us with its suggestion of the delectable qualities of chocolate and coffee, answering our desire for comfort'. Is this a color I might find in your home or wardrobe? Is it one you might add in some big or small way in the year ahead? 

I like this color. I like shades of brown, particularly the darker tones. While I don't have this exact shade I do have something close to it in some of my decor, and I'd definitely wear this color too. 

In a similar, but not really vein...if I were to offer you a choice right now of either a cup of mocha or a cup of mousse which would you say yes to? 

A cup of mocha please. 

5. Which of the following winter related idioms can best be applied to your life in some way right now? Choose one, then tell us why you chose it.  

snowed under, on thin ice, tip of the iceberg, chill out, break the ice, snowball effect, not a snowball's chance in hell, get cold feet, the cold shoulder 

I'm going to say the snowball effect. Our outdoor project started out as 'landscape the hill', then picked up speed and quickly snowballed into a waterfall, outdoor BBQ bar, patio, and new furniture for all, which somehow also included a new couch for the indoor pool table room too. It's more like snowmageddon as opposed to one little snowball. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

A random throwback to 2014 when we lived in the wilds of New Jersey and had a ridunkulous amount of snow every other day...

And icicles that could literally kill you perched on our gutters...

The neighborhood sky tried to make up for it...

And our Gordon Setter was in her glory...

Happy Wednesday everyone! 

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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

Flurries Of Hodgepodge Fun

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

 

1. It's National Popcorn Day-my favorite! Are you a fan? Sweet or salty? A good or great movie you've seen recently (at home or in a theater, either one)? 

Popcorn is one of my favorite foods. When hubs traveled a lot I'd sometimes eat popcorn for dinner. I like mine with just salt but we occasionally will add butter too. Last Christmas hubs bought me a big popcorn popper which we keep in the pool room. We love it...

...we’re not the only ones lol. 

A good movie I've seen recently? Well it will definitely be something I've watched at home because I couldn't tell you the last time I was in a theatre. We watched an older movie recently called The November Man with Pierce Brosnan and we both thought that was good. I think it came out in 2014. 

2. What's something you didn't realize was going to take so much of your time as an adult? 

meal planning, laundry, emptying the dishwasher

3. Your favorite yellow something? 

The sun, roses, and lemon anything, including a big ol' bowl of lemons sitting on the kitchen counter 

4. Why do you write? 

Because all these words in my head have to go somewhere. Writing helps me process life and reminds me to notice the little things. I enjoy reading back on what I've written and seeing God's hand in the details of my life. 

5. Share a favorite memory involving snow. 

My girls know I'm going to say the blizzard of '96. It was probably a highlight of their childhood-ha! We were living in a sweet little cul-de-sac in Maryland at the time, and while we did get snow now and then this particular year we had an honest to goodness blizzard. 

School was closed for more than a week and the snowplow driver pushed all the cul-de sac snow into a ginormous pile, a small mountain of sorts. The kids spent the whole week sledding down that hill and the adults hung out by a bonfire we made in the middle of the street. Hubs and I had someone finishing our basement at the time, and he'd left a bunch of metal pieces we used as a base so as not to set the street on fire.  We brought our lawn chairs and one neighbor made us all gluhwein, and we had a mid-winter party right there in the middle of the court. It was great fun! I think someone from the news or the newspaper came out and did a little story too. Good times!

And somewhere I have pictures but I cannot put my hands on them right now. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Winter skies y'all. 

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 448

It's that time again. 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. It's National Popcorn Day-my favorite! Are you a fan? Sweet or salty? A good or great movie you've seen recently (at home or in a theater, either one)? 

2. What's something you didn't realize was going to take so much of your time as an adult? 

3. Your favorite yellow something? 

4. Why do you write? 

5. Share a favorite memory associated with snow.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Super Fun

Weekends leave a little something to be desired these days, wouldn't you agree? Feels like we've been walking through sludge for a while now, and February isn't helping.  

We're mostly still doing a lot of nothing here and like most everyone we're tired of it. Bored with it. Ready to rejoin the party except there's still no party to rejoin. Which is why I blog about the weather and what's on the grill and the ongoing saga of our television service. 

We did have a very small snowfall Saturday night and that was a little bit exciting. Relatively speaking of course. Parts of the lake had more, but just a dusting here. 

Did you watch the Superbowl? We sorta kinda watched a snippet here and there, but honestly were not the least bit invested in the outcome. We have not watched a single NFL game this year because we are over the NFL, but I love Eric Church and wanted to see him sing the National Anthem. He's country and this was to be a duet with a more hip hop/R & B singer (Jazmine Sullivan) so I was nervous. I hate when singers mess with the anthem and the potential for that felt large with this combo. 

Course by the time we got the tv connected (!!!) team captains were already mid-field doing the coin toss and we missed it. 

Remember when something annoyed us and we'd just say 2020 and roll our eyes and everyone knew what we meant?  Saying 2021 is not nearly as satisfying. 

Anyway, I did go watch a clip of the anthem on youtube and based on comments I'd read was prepared not to like their version, but I actually loved it. They only messed with it a little, plus that sign language interpreter was fantastic and brought a big dose of happy to the whole thing. 

This boy loves my popcorn maker more than even I do and that's saying something. He watches this machine like a hawk-

 

In other Superbowl food news hubs decided to grill wings, a skill he has completely mastered-

We invited our next door neighbors over to share and ended up talking, laughing, not really watching the game, and playing pool until midnight. The girls won which isn't important but does feel worthy of a mention, and the whole evening was so much fun I forgot for a minute it wasn't a party. 

Remember fun? In 2021 I think we have to make our own. 

And so we do.

Snug As A Bug In The Hodgepodge

New month, still Hodgepodging. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, and since it's February be to share some comment love with the blogger linking before you. Here we go-

1. Feb 2nd is Groundhog Day in the US of A. Tell us about one day you wouldn't mind living over again, and why you chose that day. 

I wrote a whole post about this once upon a time. You'll find it if you click the link here. It was about some of the days I'd maybe like to relive, but really on second thought probably not. Time is a funny thing and I don't think I'd want to tinker with it if that were ever a thing. 

To answer today's question, if I have to choose I'm pretty sure I would pick an ordinary day over a grand occasion or a big milestone event. I'd love to revisit myself as a young mom, with my girls around ages 5 and 7. I'd like to relive for a single day the sweetness and wonder that particular season brought into my life.

 2. Something you know beyond a 'shadow of a doubt'? 

"Jesus loves me this I know..."

3. Give us an example of history repeating itself in some way, in your own life or the lives of your children.

Well I've spent most of my married life living a fair distance (geographically) from my parents and so far my girls are doing the same. I hold out hope that one day they will be at least within a short car ride from us, but in the meantime I'm grateful for their sense of adventure, their confidence, and their optimism which makes the miles feel like less than they are. 

And deep in my heart I know God is teaching them so much about who they are and who He is and I guess He's also still teaching me a few things too. 

4. Snowed under, snow job, not a snowball's chance, snowbird, on thin ice, snug as a bug in a rug, tip of the iceberg, snowball effect, run hot and cold....choose a wintry idiom and tell us how it best applies to your life right now. 

I've never really wanted to be a snowbird. I enjoy the changing seasons and think I would miss that, although a week at the beach somewhere sounds nice right about now. Most evenings I'm snug as a bug in a rug in my warm home, the fireplace burning, a blanket on my lap, and a really good book that isn't light and would probably be a lot for a summer read but is just right for February. 

5. Your favorite sign of spring? 

More daylight. It's a subtle change but with the ever lengthening days I know spring is on her way. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Who cooks duck here, and if you're raising your hand tell me how you like to fix it. Hubs went duck hunting and now we need to fire up the grill. Or the oven. Or the stovetop? I've only eaten duck in restaurants so if you have a favorite recipe send it my way. We have just breast, not whole ducks. 

Let's Talk

About what I don't know because it's that time of year where people are cranky and blog content is a bit thin, still I'm going to ramble on anyway. 

It's cold here in the Palmetto State, BUT! not as cold as the state we previously called home. I heard our little NJ town was mentioned on Good Morning America because they got a whopping 32 inches of snow yesterday. That is a lot of snow people. 

This picture popped up on my Facebook memories today, a photo snapped from my front porch six years ago. I guess piles of snow and groundhogs go together, and we had a lot of both in NJ. 

Hubs is so happy he's not dealing with it right now, but shhh...don't tell him...I kind of miss seeing the beauty of a great big snowfall. Just one though. We're not accustomed to those temps anymore so it's best enjoyed from a distance. I'm here shivering in 45 degree weather counting the days until we're back living life outdoors and on the water, hopefully soon. 

Did I mention here the bride and groom live in the snowy northeast? 

photo credit: the bride

Well they do. Many states away from the warm(ish) sunny southland and their people. Still America so there's that, but a ten hour car ride so not geographically close. I remind myself almost daily that it's good for newlyweds to establish themselves as a family unit separate and apart from their family of birth. And they're happy y'all. So so happy. 

My son-in-law's job means this is where they live right now, and so many things have fallen into place for this precious couple that you can't help but see God's hand in it all. The bride even landed an in person teaching job which she enjoys as much as one can in these weird times, but still...can't one of my girls live nearby? 

Maybe someday. 

This is why I declare technology my best friend. 

Wait, no it's not. I just remembered the cable company was in our house half a day yesterday to switch us over to the high speed internet now available in our community. Which is great except now none of the TVs are working right and I loathe having to deal with this sort of thing. Sorry for the run on sentence but ugh...

Also, hubs would say technically he is the one dealing with it, but ugh... 

In other less than pleasant news, our tax organizer appeared in my inbox today. 

Hello February. You're lucky you come with chocolate. 

And beauty. Because y'all there is beauty if you look for it even in the middle of a winter that feels grouchier than most. So let's throw some beauty into the mix.

You thought I was going to post a wedding picture didn't you?  

I would, but we're still waiting on our photographs. This one a guest snapped of the bride dancing with the groom's granddad is awfully sweet. 

And don't you worry...when we get the pictures back you'll know. Ha! 

When daughter2 started teaching from home back in March of 2020, she brought a half-dead plant to the house with her. A student had given her a 'bulb' which hadn't grown into much of anything save one lonely green stalk. Sadly the pot tipped over in her car enroute to our house and that lone green stalk ripped in half. 

She was going to chuck the whole thing but hubs intervened. He loves to shower half-dead plants with TLC and I want you to know he brought this plant back to life. I kept saying it looked like an amaryllis, and while it grew taller and taller every day for a year, it never sprouted any sort of bud or bloom. Hubs though, did not give up and this week-

Yes he attached a grow light to a pool cue. I told you hubs is serious about bringing life to sad situations. 

The world is kind of sad right now, isn't it? Yet here we are with two buds ready to pop, and another  following close behind smack dab in the middle of a cold gray winter. 

A gentle reminder that a little patience and some tender loving care can make all sorts of thing grow. 

Friday Five Ish

I intended to participate in Five Minute Friday today, but I saw the prompt and changed my mind.  This week's one word prompt was 'intentional' and that felt too deep for me this morning even though I did  just use a form of the word in my first sentence. 

Let's talk about fluff instead. 

First of all, this little mancub! Look at him sitting up in the grocery cart! 

photo credit: Sincerely Shannon

Y'all he is just the cutest thing I've ever seen. We FaceTime often and I wish I could crawl right through the screen and kiss his rosy cheeks in person. 

photo credit: Sincerely Shannon

Hubs and I and refer to him often as the mancub because he's like an adorable little bear, and so full of personality. I think mancub might become his blog name. 

In other news, we had snow this week. Not SNOW!!! but snow. It stuck to the grass and made the trees gorgeous, but our roads have been fine. My daughter2 teaches a couple of counties over and they are still closed today so I guess they had more ice than we did. It doesn't take much 'round here. 

Snow was predicted to begin overnight Tuesday into Wednesday and I was so happy to wake up and see a blanket of white. Not a deep blanket, more like a flimsy coverlet, but still so pretty. Hubs will tell you he does not miss the snow at all but I miss it a little. I love the way snowfall brings a silent stillness to a planet that surely needs it. 

Plus here in the southland there's no chipping ice off the front steps for days on end, no fifteen foot icicles hanging from the gutters causing damming which then causes water to run down the interior wall of your home, no sooty black snow mountains in parking lots making it hard to see, and no week after week of sub zero temps. In fact it's supposed to be sunny and low-60's tomorrow which makes it easy to love a snow day in January. 

Hubs and I have both been reading a lot this month, mostly by the fire because snow!  I just finished  The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine. Has anyone read it? The book got great reviews on Goodreads, but I didn't care for it. The characters are so unlikable and the dialogue felt like high school. It's been compared to a Gone Girl type thriller, but I'd say that's a ginormous stretch. Would be curious to know if anyone else has read it and what they thought. 

One interesting thing, the 'author' is actually two sisters who've combined their names to form the name Liv. They live several states apart but write back and forth via FaceTime and email. 

Besides reading we've been watching some Netflix and catching up on our favorite shows including The Good Doctor, The Brave, and Victoria. Is anyone watching Victoria on PBS? It's really good and filling the TV viewing void left by The Crown. 

Our girls gave us a Legacy Box for Christmas and we finally got that sent off. It seemed simple on the surface, but of course I excel at complicating the simple. We could send ten items in our box-VHS tapes, 8 mm tapes, photos, or slides. Twenty five photos count as one item. We have all our 'baby' tapes on VHS and I knew we needed to start with those, but hubs was keen to send in some 8 mm too because all the Europe years are on 8mm. I think it's 8mm? It's not VHS and it's not DVD so it's whatever that technology thing was that came after the DVD but before the iPhone camera. We'll be getting everything back on DVD plus a memory stick. 

We knew the VHS tapes were in a box in the garage, and hubs was certain the 8mm were in the camera bag. Except they weren't which led to us opening all kinds of boxes in the storage area which led to a trip to Goodwill and the dump and then turning the house upside down trying to find those tapes. I was 100% certain I had not seen them or touched them since the move. Hubs was positive we had them when we left NJ, but I swore up and down I had not laid eyes on them. 

Except somehow they ended up in a totebag in my closet. 

oops. I kind of sort of now remember dropping the bag in there mid-move and then promptly forgetting about it. Obviously. On the bright side, we got some of that storage area emptied and the legacy box mailed so all's well that end's well.

Happy weekend everyone! 
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