Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 669

Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then hop back here on Wednesday (September 2nd) to share your answers. See you there-

1. What's something you wanted to do this summer that you never got around to doing? 

2. Were you the student who sat in the front row or hid in the back of the class? If you could go back and take one high school class again just for fun, which would it be? 

3. What characteristics do you think are essential in a good teacher (this can be applied to anyone who teaches, not just classroom teachers)? 

4.  September 2nd is National Grits Day. Have you ever eaten grits? Are you a fan? If so how do you like yours? Would people describe you as 'having grit'? 

5. What's something you're never too old or too young to enjoy? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

A Pearl Of A 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 there before you. Here we go-

1. What's something on your August calendar you're looking forward to? Or dreading if that's easier to answer. 

Time with my Tennessee grands, friends and family coming to hang out on the lake later this month, and dinner with friends at a Michelen Star restaurant where we were finally able to snag a reservation. 

2. August 5th is National Oyster Day...do you partake? How do you feel about pearls? 

I like oysters and we have them on occasion. We don't fix them at home, but will order out if we're in a place that serves them. My son-in-law grills them and those are good too. True story- when we visited friends on Prince Edward Island  we went out with an oysterman and he pulled one out of the water and popped it into my mouth before I knew what was happening. 

I love pearls. They're one of my favorite gemstones and I have a set hubs bought for me in China and another set he bought for me in Japan. In the south pearls go with everything and I wear mine as often as I can. 

3. Tell us about a time when you felt like 'the world was your oyster'. 

There were those golden years when I was just out of university, just starting out in my career, just starting out in marriage, where it felt like so much was possible and the world was my oyster. 

In more recent years I'm going to say a road trip somewhere new. 

I love getting in the car and driving with perhaps a final destination in mind, but not rushing to get there, and having no real specific agenda for what we'll see and do along the way. Oh, there might be a few highlights or popular points of interest we don't want to miss, but I love the idea of enjoying the ride, stopping if something peaks our interest, and being open to getting off the beaten path to see what we can see. Those sorts of trips give me the feeling I think this saying implies. 

4. Trip Advisor lists seven islands in the US that require no passport (for US citizens). If you're answering today from outside the US you'll still need to produce yours. An-y-way, have you been to any of the seven? Let's pretend you get an all expense paid trip to one this month...which one do you choose and why? 

Catalina Island California~Martha's Vineyard Massachusetts~Mackinac Island Michigan~Key West Florida~South Padre Island Texas~or Kauai Hawaii

I've been to Key West more than once,  but not to any of the other islands listed. I love the Keys but prefer Marathon to Key West. The sunsets in the Keys are spectacular. 

Hubs and I had a really fun trip to Duck Key which is near Marathon one year. It was the start of lobster season and hubs went diving and brought back dinner. A local restaurant cooked them for us. 

Plus I got to do this which was exciting.  

As far as which one on the list I'd most want to see I'll take the all expense paid trip to Mackinac Island please. I've never been and it's a spot that's on my want- to-see list. 

5. Sylvia Plath is credited with the following- 

"August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time."

Agree or disagree? In other words, how do you feel about this month? 

Growing up August was firmly planted in summer and there was no confusion about that. School started after Labor Day and we were still squeezing in all the summer fun we could in August. 

Today maybe that's not so clear, but on the lake it's still summer. The lake is less busy too because schools start so early, and kids are back into all their sports practices, so the gentler weekends on the water are nice. 

Come Labor Day I'll shift into all things autumn, even if the thermometer says otherwise. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I read a thought provoking post on Instagram recently which I'm linking here-The Slow Death of the Beauty Of The World.  I think it's worth a read if you can access it. 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 665

Hello Hodgepodgers. I have a very busy week ahead where I’m responsible for tiny humans, so there likely won't be much blogging here other than the Hodgepodge. Can't miss that now can I? Here are the questions to this week's random. Answer on your own blog then hop back here on Wednesday (August 5th) and add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. What's something on your August calendar you're looking forward to? Or dreading if that's easier to answer. 

2. August 5th is National Oyster Day...do you partake? How do you feel about pearls? 

3. Tell us about a time when you felt like 'the world was your oyster'. 

4. Trip Advisor lists seven islands in the US that require no passport (for US citizens). If you're answering today from outside the US you'll still need to produce yours. An-y-way, have you been to any of the seven? Let's pretend you get an all expense paid trip to one this month...which one do you choose and why? 

Catalina Island California~Martha's Vineyard Massachusetts~Mackinac Island Michigan~Key West Florida~South Padre Island Texas~or Kauai Hawaii

5. Sylvia Plath is credited with the following- 

"August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time."

Agree or disagree? In other words, how do you feel about this month? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 664

Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here on Wednesday (July 29th) to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. What was the last thing you celebrated? 

2 July 29th is International Day of the Tiger. Besides the wild animal itself, when you hear the word tiger what's the first  person-place-thing-whatever that comes to mind? 

3. The expression 'eye of the tiger' describes someone with intense focus, determination, and the drive to succeed. What area of your life are you currently bringing that kind of energy to?  

4. What was the last meal you cooked? 

5. Describe your July using exactly five words. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

A Guilt Free 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. Don't be lazy now. 

Here we go...

1. "Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability." Sam Keen

Do you feel less guilty relaxing in July than you do in January? Elaborate. 

Why does rest make us feel guilty? In this season of life I'm taking time to relax guilt free. We're not lazy people and while work is important rest is also essential. I enjoy having things on my calendar, both fun and commitment related, but I also love seeing some blank space to do nothing in particular. 

2. What's a telltale sign you're upset? 

I'm not someone who hides their emotions very well.  I cry easily and if I'm upset while talking I might cry. I try hard not to, but...

At other times I might go quiet, and since I tend to talk a lot going quiet is noticeable. 

3. July 16th is National AI Day. What are your general thoughts and/or experiences with AI? Have you purposely used it? Does it excite you, scare you, or worry you? What do you see as a benefit? How about something relating to AI you see as a negative? 

Well it's here to stay so I want to think about it at least a little bit. It's already tucked in to so many things we use every day so there's no avoiding it.  I listened to an interesting podcast recently on the topic and have linked it here (What Every Christian Should Know About Artificial Intelligence). 

A lot of people ask if I use AI to come up with questions every week. So far no, except in all likelihood something has slipped through the cracks. We just don't know (or always think about) all the spaces AI now inhabits. I come up with most questions off the top of my head. But I also have a book of questions Marilyn gave me, there are websites with questions, and I google topical issues to inspire questions, so it's a mix. 

I'd say AI is both exciting and worrisome. Like all technology there is the potential for misuse and actual evil and I'm sure we'll see that with AI too. Also I want to think and I guess the biggest negative I see is the temptation to become lazy in that department. I am rebelling against it as much as I can. 

Positives? I think if a summary is needed for something AI can be helpful and a real time saver. While it doesn't actually think it does consolidate a lot of information in a short amount of time and that's useful in a lot of instances. 

We want to take a trip out west and I was struggling with how to combine a couple of destinations without excessively long drive days so I popped my locations into AI and he/she/it? came up with a plan.  Since I'm not familiar with the geography in this particular part of the country I needed help and AI gave me a place to start.  

4. You're invited to a summer pot luck and are asked to bring an appetizer, salad/side, or dessert. Which category do you go for and what are you bringing? 

Depends on my mood, and possibly who else I know will be there. I would likely go for dessert because I like to bake and desserts hold up well in transport. 

5. It wouldn't be summer without___________________. 

A tomato sandwich, made with homegrown tomatoes right off the vine, slathered in Duke's Mayo. Yum! Haven't had one yet this summer, but it will happen soon. I need my daughter to share some of her larger tomatoes with me as we only grew cherries. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

So one of our state's senators passed away suddenly this week, and people are just vile. Sadly this is no longer surprising. 

I don't know how we've gotten to the point of celebrating the death of another human being in our country, but here we are. Lindsay Graham was from our local area and hubs and I met him in person once. He was really funny. Did we agree with everything he said and did? No. But he served our country in the USAF and raised his sister upon the death of their parents when she was just 13, and both of these things I do admire. 

I read a quote by Matthew Hennessey with the Wall Street Journal who said, "The best thing you can do when someone dies is say a prayer. If that isn't your thing, find something nice to say. If neither of those options works for you, there's a third option: Shut up." 

You don't have to agree with someone's politics to be decent in death. We need to do better. 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 662

Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here on Wednesday (July 15th) to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. "Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability." Sam Keen

Do you feel less guilty relaxing in July than you do in January? Elaborate. 

2. What's a telltale sign you're upset? 

3. July 16th is National AI Day. What are your general thoughts and/or experiences with AI? Have you purposely used it? Does it excite you, scare you, or worry you? What do you see as a benefit? How about something relating to AI you see as a negative? 

4. You're invited to a summer pot luck and are asked to bring an appetizer, salad/side, or dessert. Which category do you go for and what are you bringing? 

5. It wouldn't be summer without___________________. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Three Cheers For The Hodgepodge

Welcome to July and to our 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 love most about your country? 

Her resilience, her optimism, her beauty, and maybe most of all her hard fought freedoms. 

2. Your favorite patriotic song? 

America The Beautiful

3. Red, white, or blue? Stars or stripes? Something you own besides a US flag with some combination of those colors or decorations as part of its design? 

I like red, white, and blue alone, two of them together in some combination, or all three together. My favorite I guess is blue, but it depends what we're talking about. I like striped tops, striped fabric, striped umbrellas, candy canes, and the Clemson tigers : ) I like stars in the night sky. 

Something besides a flag with those colors or decorations? I have a patio pillow that fits the description-

4. What's one thing you want more of this summer: fun, rest, adventure, connection, quiet, or confidence? Elaborate. 

While they all appeal to some degree, I'm going to choose connection. I want to be intentional about reaching out. I want quality time with the people I care about. I want deep conversations, shared meals and conversations, and memories made with friends and family. 

5. What was your ultimate, go-to summer activity when you were a kid? Do you still do any version of that today? If you answered yes, does participating in this activity as an adult make you feel like a kid?  

Definitely swimming, and yes I still swim and I still love it. In some ways it can make me feel like a kid. Diving into deep water and swimming across a pool without coming up for air definitely takes me back to my childhood. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Have a safe and happy 4th everyone! 

A Little Of This And A Little Of That

Good Monday morning friends. It's a big week in the US of A and we're excited to celebrate all that is wonderful about life in America. I honestly don't want to hear any complaining right now. I'm 1000% over the fault finding that has become the noise in our heads and our news feeds for far too long now. Look up. Turn off the talking heads and invite the neighbors for a cookout instead. 

Is America perfect? No. But she's full of natural beauty, big hearted people, a culture that's as varied as the miles are long, and freedom in abundance. May God bless our nation on her birthday and always. 

Joining Holly (Pink Lady Blog) and Sarah (Sunshine and Books) today for their Hello Monday link up. Recapping the weekend and doing a bit of a June flower photo dump too. Here we go-

June was nice. We had summer temps and plenty of sunshine. Friday was lovely and hubs and I sipped coffee on the deck before tackling the dinner prep. We had friends coming over later and hubs was grilling ribs. 

I got busy making a blueberry pie. 

The blueberries were the biggest I've ever seen and so sweet. I struggled a little with the crust and had to make it twice, but all's well that ends well. I make my momma's recipe which has a whipped cream topping instead of a second crust and I prefer that to the double crust. 

Do you use pie weights when you bake a crust? I usually forget I have them but this time I remembered and they helped. 

It was yummy! 

Friends arrived around six and we had a lovely relaxed evening sitting outside, listening to the sound of the waterfall, catching up, and eating a wonderful meal. They didn't leave until almost midnight and it was my favorite kind of Friday night. 

Saturday we had nothin'. What a feeling. We drank coffee in our pjs and chatted on the porch until Daughter1 called asking if they could come over and swim in the pool for a while. 

We peeled ourselves off the porch and changed into swim suits to meet them at the clubhouse a little before noon. We took the little red car because it's fun. The noodles took up the entire 'back seat' so I rode with my bag on my lap but it's literally .02 of a mile so no biggie. 

There was a family having a birthday party when we arrived but they wrapped up soon after we got there and the pool was mostly ours. The weather and the water were perfect and we packed up and made it back to the house just before the skies let loose with crazy rain and thunder.

We ate leftover ribs for a late lunch at almost 3 PM so I told hubs he could have pie for dinner. 

We popped over to our next door neighbor's house to check out their big patio project that's underway and while there I snapped a picture of their hydrangea. I want one in this deep purple color. 

My hydrangeas are blooming too...limelights-

and the pink diamond too-

We spent the rest of the day watching World Cup and I finished a terrific book I'll talk about when I share my recent reads on Thursday. I can't remember the last time I indulged in more than an hour of reading. 

A goldfinch has started hanging out on one of our hummingbird feeders. 

Yes, I'm in my bird watching era. There's a heron who grabs his breakfast on our shoreline pretty much every day and I'm amazed by these creatures. 

Sunday morning we went to church, then came home for a brunchy lunch of scrambled eggs and fried potatoes made with left overs from the frig. We discovered Father of the Bride was on tv so we settled in to watch (it's one of our favorites), and hubs had a nap while I blogged and finished a second book. 

So chill. So necessary. 

Now bring on the stars and the stripes and the fireworks and all the gratitude for living in this land I love. 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 660

Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here on Wednesday July 1st to share answers with the universe. See you there!

1. What do you love most about your country? 

2. Your favorite patriotic song? 

3. Red, white, or blue? Stars or stripes? Something you own besides a US flag with some combination of those colors or decorations as part of its design? 

4. What's one thing you want more of this summer: fun, rest, adventure, connection, quiet, or confidence? Elaborate. 

5. What was your ultimate, go-to summer activity when you were a kid? Do you still do any version of that today? If you answered yes, does participating in this activity as an adult make you feel like a kid?  

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Sum-Sum-Summertime Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Grab your shades and your pool noodle and jump on in! Be sure to add your link at the end of my post, and don't forget to leave a comment for your neighbors there. Here we go-

1. Summer's here!  In the northern hemisphere anyway. If you're in the southern hemisphere substitute winter for the word summer. What do you love most about summer? What's your biggest summer pet peeve? 

What do I love most about summer? 

Evening daylight that stretches past 8 PM, then turns a golden hue which somehow makes you feel like anything is possible. 

My biggest pet peeve? 

I dislike being hit in the face with 100% humidity when I open the door at 6 AM. I like cooler (or at least reasonable) temps in the morning and want the day to warm up gradually. That doesn't usually happen in in the summers here.  

2. What song always reminds you of summer? 

I have a whole summer playlist of favorites but beach music tops the list. If I hear beach music I think summer and one of my favorites is Summertime's Calling Me by The Catalinas. We all love that song in our house. 

There's a lot of country music on my summer playlist. Kenny Chesney's Anything But Mine is probably my favorite song of his and definitely a summer favorite. 

3. What's something you remember about your childhood summers? Do you think kids today get to enjoy summer the way you did as a child? Elaborate. 

There were all the simple pleasures of childhood like riding our bikes to the swim club, big games of neighborhood hide and seek, chasing fireflies in our backyard, homemade ice cream, family picnics with family friends, Barbies with my sister under the big tree out back, etc. 

Mostly though, when I think of childhood summers, I remember less the specific moments and more the feeling of freedom that surrounded them. The idea that there was nowhere I needed to be, and the way time felt so spacious and carefree. That carefree feeling is linked to childhood in my mind, and somehow I think we as children sensed it and so we savored it all the more. 

That's me in the yellow top and the blue keds with my two best friends coloring on our porch on a sunny summer day. I can feel the freedom from here. 

Do kids get to enjoy summer the way I did as a child? 

I think so, if parents help make it so. I see my grandchildren enjoying a carefree summer in much the same way I did. They spend their days outside, swimming, playing games in their backyard, riding bikes, staying up a little later than normal and enjoying family time and time with their friends. They're not carrying adult sized problems and worrying about much more than being a kid. 

4. We celebrate Fathers Day on June 21st. Do you favor your dad in looks or temperament? Tell us something about your dad. Or your husband as a dad. Or a son/son-in-law as a dad. Or your grandpa. 

My sisters and I were always told we favored my dad in looks, while my brother looked more like our mom.  I think we're all four a combination of both parents. 

If I had to describe my dad in a single word it would be solid.  He was a hard worker, a man of deep faith, someone who lived with integrity. While he wasn't a big talker we all knew we were loved and we could count on him. 

I think I wanted that same quality in a husband and I have it. My hubs is solid. And so are my sons-in-law. They're all excellent providers, strong in the ways that count, faithful, and they love their families well. 

My hubs is not a man of few words though lol. I'm glad. 

5. Let's wrap up with a summer this or that-

• flip flops or sandals~sandals
• beach or pool~beach
• watermelon or peaches~watermelon
• shorts or sundress~shorts
• iced coffee or ice cold lemonade~lemonade
• amusement park or water park~water park for sure...this is the only question I didn't want to answer with 'both' 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

This post is a lot of words and almost no pictures. Grands are in the house this week and I'm enjoying having our tiny cousin crew all together.  

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 659

Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then hop back here on Wednesday (June 24th) to add your link  to the party. See you there! 

1. Summer's here!  In the northern hemisphere anyway. If you're in the southern hemisphere substitute winter for the word summer. What do you love most about summer? What's your biggest summer pet peeve? 

2. What song always reminds you of summer? 

3. What's something you remember about your childhood summers? Do you think kids today get to enjoy summer the way you did as a child? Elaborate. 

4. We celebrate Fathers Day on June 21st. Do you favor your dad in looks or temperament? Tell us something about your dad. Or your husband as a dad. Or a son/son-in-law as a dad. Or your grandpa. 

5. Let's wrap up with a summer this or that-

• flip flops or sandals
• beach or pool 
• watermelon or peaches
• shorts or sundress
• iced coffee or ice cold lemonade
• amusement park or water park

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

A Midsomer Hodgepodge

Welcome to August and this week's 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. The midpoint of summer (believe it or not) is August 7th. Describe a perfect summer day. Have you had one this year? 

A clear bright blue sky, although a few puffy non-threatening clouds are okay too...coffee on the porch, a book on a float on the lake, an outdoor shower, friends dropping by, hubs grilling a steak to perfection, music under the starry night sky...that would be one formula for a perfect summer day. 

We've had a few. 

That being said there are may ways to have a perfect summer day. Case in point-

2. What's one thing you wish you knew before starting high school? 

There's a lot of pressure in high school, both socially and academically. Lots of big feelings you're trying to manage. These can be, and often are, wonderful years, but you're still learning who you are and who you want to be. These are not the best years of your life. 

3. What's something that bothers you if it's not done perfectly? 

The way the dishwasher is loaded. Ridiculous I know, but there is a right way lol. 

4. What's the most overrated food you're convinced people are just pretending to enjoy?

Matcha

What's a trendy food you actually do enjoy and would say is definitely not overrated?  

sushi, oysters 

5. Wrapping it up this week with five fun this or thats...

personal stylist or personal chef? 

Stylist for sure

dance like nobody's watching or sing like nobody's listening? 

hmmm...I've been known to do both, but probably singing

unlimited tacos or free pizza?

free pizza

bookshelf organization-by size or by genre? 

by genre, but then within genres by size

ten minutes late or ten minutes early? 

early of course

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Vitamin Sea...

...for when life feels a little too salty. 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 614

Here are the questions to our regular mid-week Hodgepodge. Answer the questions on your own blog, then hop back here on Wednesday (August 6th) to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. The midpoint of summer (believe it or not) is August 7th. Describe a perfect summer day. Have you had one this year? 

2. What's one thing you wish you knew before starting high school? 

3. What's something that bothers you if it's not done perfectly? 

4. What's the most overrated food you're convinced people are just pretending to enjoy? What's a trendy food you actually do enjoy and would say is definitely not overrated? 

5. Wrapping it up this week with five fun this or thats...

personal stylist or personal chef? 
dance like nobody's watching or sing like nobody's listening? 
unlimited tacos or free pizza? 

bookshelf organization-by size or by genre? 
ten minutes late or ten minutes early? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

A Hodgepodge For The Ages

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

1. On July 29th 1957 The Tonite Show premiered with Jack Parr as it's host. This marked the beginning of the modern day talk show. Do you watch any daytime or late night talk shows today? Do you have any thoughts on the hubbub surrounding the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, or are you more in the camp of 'who is Stephen Colbert? 

I don't watch any talk shows these days. Mostly because I find celebrity culture exhausting and not all that interesting. In my opinion the night time shows have become less entertainment, more political commentary and who wants that when they're trying to quiet their mind for sleeping???

Eons ago we would fall asleep to Johnny Carson or David Letterman, but this new crop is too full of their own self-importance for me to enjoy. Sure there are some funny bits now and then, but the overall content is very one-sided. Not everyone shares my opinion and that's fine, but I'm not tuning in and apparently I'm not the only one. 

I paid very little attention to the outrage over the cancellation of Colbert's show. It wasn't making the network money, and there's a merger happening, and entertainment is business so it's gone. Pretty sure it's not the end of democracy as some folks want us to believe.  

2. What's the best part of your day? 

"The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup"....raise your hand if you remember the jingle? I checked to see when that ad first ran and it was 1984. The year I got married. 

I don't drink Folgers but that first cup of coffee in the early morning hours is definitely one of the best parts of the day. Early morning in general is the best part of my day. I like the quiet, the sunrise, and easing in to the day with my coffee and what feels like endless possibilities. 

3. What's something your generation does that you actually dislike? 

I can't think of anything I truly dislike. I will say I think it's normal as we age to become more resistant to change...our routines, technology, the way the way the world works...we want those things to stay as we've always known them to be. 

We're all a product of the times in which we're raised, but...the world does change and we have to cultivate some flexibility if we're going to age gracefully. I get it. Sometimes you just don't want to learn how to do something a new way. 

Time marches on with our without us, and we can't always be looking blissfully at what was and criticizing what is. I want to keep learning and growing and that means accepting that the world in 2025 looks a lot different than it did when I was 'young' (er). Some things are better, some are worse. I'm sure my parents felt the same. 

4. When you cook do you clean as you go, or clean it all up once you're finished cooking? What's the last thing you cooked/baked in your own kitchen? 

I don't exactly clean as I go, but I don't save it all til the end either. Hubs is 100% clean as you go. He's been known to wash a pan I'm planning to use again.  If he enters the kitchen while I'm baking it can make him twitch a little. 

I would say I clean as I need to, but save most of it for the end because I like to focus more on the actual measuring-sifting-mixing. If my hubs were answering he'd say I definitely lean more towards the clean it all up at the end side of things. Hi hubs! 

The last thing I cooked in my kitchen was a pesto pasta dish I made for dinner Monday night. I answer the questions Monday or Tuesday usually.

5. Sum up your July in ten words or less. 

An ankle fracture. That's it. That's July. 

I mean there were lots of lovely bright spots too, but if I'm summing it up that's the highlight. Or lowlight depending on your point of view. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

When we added the waterfall to our backyard we asked the guys doing the work to add a few plants around it...

That's it. That was the level of instruction we gave them regarding landscaping which, if you know us, you know this is not us lol. 

Mostly we didn't get specific because we didn't realize at the time how large the finished space would be. 

But no matter because they made it so pretty. There's actually a fair amount of planting all around and we love it. These verbena have been blooming since May and show no signs of slowing down. 

Happy Wednesday everyone! 

Hello Monday, So Long July

Hello friends. August is just around the bend and here we have a full and mostly fun calendar of things coming our way. 

I know many people feel like July flew right on by, but I enjoyed the pace. Ours was not too fast, not too slow, or as Goldilocks would say 'it was just right'.  We had very few big events on the calendar, and spent a lot of time at home, enjoying the lake, grilling out, and resting my foot. 

Maybe that's the upside to a stress fracture mid-summer. It forces you to consider what you'll say yes to a little more carefully than you normally would. We had company over the 4th, but other than that the house was all ours. While we're never people with nothing to do, we had lots of down time which was nice. 

So how did you spend this last weekend in July? Here's how ours looked...

Friday I was supposed to have a mani/pedi. It was going to be a bit wonky with the boot and all, but I was okay with one foot having a full pedi and the other just a polish. Hubs was golfing and I was going to drive myself for the very first time since I started in the boot. The Dr. said I could drive if needed, and I considered this a need.  

I left the house and got about a mile down the road when I was forced to turn around due to a very serious accident ahead. Turning around meant I would have had to go around the lake in the opposite direction of my appointment so I gave up, called the salon, and went back home. I wasn't meant to drive I guess. Or get my nails done. Bother. 

Friday night hubs and I went to a nearby spot we love for a glass of wine and a charcuterie board dinner. It was nice. We got home a little before eight and my son-in-law dropped our two oldest grandsons off at our house to spend the night. Saturday was the mancub's birthday and they wanted the boys out of the house while they got things set up. 

Everyone put on pjs and piled in our bed to watch Honey I Shrunk The Kids. I hadn't seen it in many many years, and I often think I remember a movie as being fine for certain ages only to watch and discover I remembered wrong. That was not the case here and they enjoyed it. 

The boys are not normally early risers, but were up early on Saturday. I think the birthday party adrenaline was amping up and when I said the party wasn't for nine more hours they sighed a little. We had a lot of time to fill in between, so they worked on a lego creation I had here, and then hubs made blueberry pancakes on the griddle. 

We went for a lake swim, came back inside for lunch, and then my son-in-law arrived to take them home. We followed soon after to help with some of the pre-party tasks. 

Planning and hosting birthday parties for my girls was one of my favorite things to do when they were small, and my girls love it too. Daughter1 has an art background and this is a fun way to be creative. The theme was Star Wars and she made a Death Star pinata out of paper mache which was awesome. 

Also I hated pinatas as a kid. All that chaos and the anxiety of chasing down the candy. Whew. These boys were all in though and they loved it. 

Her goody bags which she made herself were also super cute. There was a ginormous inflatable water slide for entertainment and it was a good thing because it was hot with a capital H. If my foot wasn't in a boot I'd have tried it myself. 

These pictures make it look like no one was there, but kids were there lol. Parents too. We stayed until the very end so we could help with some of the clean up and when we came home we flopped on the couch and agreed birthday parties are the best kind of exhausting fun. 

I always write my grandchildren letters on their birthdays...you can read the birthday boy's new letter here (2922 Days).

Sunday we went to church. The 'kids' had a meeting after so hubs and I went to our usual breakfast spot for lunch, then came home, changed, and took the boat out to meet friends. 

Someone is always organizing impromptu float parties and they'll text a map with a pin telling us which cove they're in, and we tie the boats up together...

... and then we float. 

We got home late afternoon and I called my sister to catch up, then hubs grilled salmon for dinner. I made a spinach salad to go with and we watched a couple more episodes of The Lioness. Have you seen it?  I'm not really invested, yet it's somehow still managing to make me tense. We're about eight episodes in so I guess we'll finish the season. 

Linking today with Holly and Sarah for their Hello Monday weekend recap party. Hop over if you want to share your own or read what others have to say. Have a great week!