The Hodgepodge Is Never Just So-So

Welcome to November and this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. Mine is wordy. That second question was better in my head lol. Thanks for playing along! 

Quick reminder-I'm hosting a Day In The Life linkup here for anyone interested, on Thursday, November 13th. If you need more info you'll find details at the end of the post linked here (A Freshly Painted Hodgepodge).

Okay, back to today... 

1. Besides Thanksgiving, something on your November calendar you're looking forward to? 

My younger daughter and her littles are coming to hang out with us next week and there's nothing I love more than seeing my two girls together. Love having all the grands together too, but I especially love my girls having sister time. 

2. Dictionary.com's word of the year is '6-7'. Huh? 

Is it even a word??? I had to consult the internet to find out it's meaning because apparently I'm old and this particular slang is not part of my vocabulary. Is it part of yours? According to the article I read, it's a viral term, more of an inside joke with an unclear meaning driven by social media.

What do you think? 

Dictionary. com says it's selection each year is a 'linguistic time capsule reflecting social trends and events, but they also admitted to being confused by '6-7'. Some say it means so-so and is sometimes accompanied by the up and down hand motion we associate with the phrase so-so.

What word do you think would have made a better choice? 

Here are my answers-

Is it part of my vocabulary. Nope. 

What do I think? I realize and can also appreciate the way slang is very much a generational thing and changes with the times. I can get on board with slang working it's way into everyday usage, and even our dictionary in some cases, but not super ridiculous slang. 

I suppose all slang is slightly ridiculous, but even the people using this one don't seem to get it, and it's not an expression I see lasting the way a lot of slang does. 

What word do I think would have made a better choice? If we're sticking with slang I like doomscroll and I especially like doomscroll detox. Who doesn't need that in today's climate? 

3. What's a food, trend, activity, or thing people love but you think is just so-so? 

Green drinks. The real thing, aka veggies, is so much better. 

4. Are you a tea drinker? Hot or cold? How do you like yours and at what time of day? Do you like flavored teas or teas billed as calming, energizing, healing, etc? 

Yes and I like both hot and cold. I drink coffee first thing in the morning, but will have a cup of tea most afternoons around 3 PM. I like mine with just a splash of milk. No flavors, just regular tea flavored tea please.  

Also, I want my hot tea in an actual cup, no styrofoam or metal Stanley type container. And I don't want it microwaved. We have an automatic super hot water dispenser in our kitchen sink but I do not make tea with it. I use a kettle like all tea snobs should. An electric kettle is fine. I like the act of making tea, the exhale that seems to come with it, and the slowdown it brings to a busy day. 

5. The November Hodgepodge always has a gratitude question each week. For today, what are three things that make your heart sing? 

• Well, in a nod to the previous question its tea drinking season and I love my afternoon cuppa. In the warm months I drink iced coffee in the afternoon but once fall hits I'm all about a cozy cup of  afternoon tea. 

• Autumn skies. I love sunrises that are so brilliant they reflect off the lake into my kitchen window. 

• My sister. Today is her birthday and I'm  feeling especially grateful for her this year. My mom lives with her and I'm so thankful for all she does to keep my mom safe and feeling loved. Growing older requires a lot of letting go of roles we've always held, routines we've created, and  bits and pieces of who we used to be. But caring for someone who’s aging means letting go, too. Caregivers give up time, energy, and parts of their own lives, and I want her to always know how very much we appreciate all she does. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I've been posting our weekly 'day dates' here because we're aiming for 52 in 52 weeks. Mentioning them every week helps us stay on track. We've had a busy month so most weeks we've had to make the most of whatever window of time we happen to have, and I guess that's kind of the point-find time. 

Day Date Episode Five...does a visit to the doctor count? 

It does if you decide it does. Last week hubs had an appointment at the dermatologist and we made a date of it. It's about an hour away so lots of time to chat in the car both coming and going. It was a rainy day and we decided we'd have lunch out after his appointment. 

I sat in the car and read my book, then we did another fun thing together which was a trip back to the car dealer to get new batteries in my key fobs. Naturally the warning light for that couldn't have come on when I was there the week before, but we popped back in and they were quick and are always so nice. 

We thought about where we wanted to eat and initially thought we'd try something new but it was not yet 11 am so most lunch spots weren't open. We decided on breakfast instead and hubs suggested a spot we used to frequent when our girls were in uni here. We went more often when we lived in the city while building our house. 

It's a diner of sorts but we like it and we enjoyed talking about living in this town and would we ever want to live there again, and how much it's changed but how it's still a great city. 

We remembered to snap a quick rainy day selfie out front before we left. 

Day dates are what you make them. We likely will miss one this week as my mother-in-law is visiting, but we'll tack a week on at the end because we're retired and we can do whatever we want. That's what we like to say anyway. 

Happy Wednesday everyone! Happy birthday Sissy xo 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 627

Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here on Wednesday (November 5th) to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. Besides Thanksgiving, something on your November calendar you're looking forward to? 

2. Dictionary.com's word of the year is '6-7'. Huh? 

Is it even a word??? I had to consult the internet to find out it's meaning because apparently I'm old and this particular slang is not part of my vocabulary. Is it part of yours? According to the article I read, it's a viral term, more of an inside joke with an unclear meaning driven by social media.

What do you think? 

Dictionary. com says it's selection each year is a 'linguistic time capsule reflecting social trends and events, but they also admitted to being confused by '6-7'. Some say it means so-so and is sometimes accompanied by the up and down hand motion we associate with the phrase so-so.

What word do you think would have made a better choice? 

3. What's a food, trend, activity, or thing people love but you think is just so-so? 

4. Are you a tea drinker? Hot or cold? How do you like yours and at what time of day? Do you like flavored teas or teas billed as calming, energizing, healing, etc? 

5. The November Hodgepodge has always included a weekly gratitude question. Here's the question for today-what are three things that make your heart sing? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

A British Birthday Bonanza

I've had the most fun time celebrating my birthday this year. I'm in one of my most favorite places in all the world with some of my most favorite people.

Hubs and I hopped the pond on Monday. Barely. We were supposed to fly out of Atlanta at 5 PM and we even boarded the plane, got comfy, and settled in for the duration. Four hours later we were still on the tarmac. 

Bother. 

There was a problem getting fuel to the wings or some such nonsense, and after turning off the power twice so umpteen people could attempt a fix they decided we should de-plane and wait in the terminal. There was one more possible correction but that would take an hour so we were told to stay in the general vicinity of the gate. Everyone was very cooperative and well behaved and collected all their belongings to wait inside. 

A little over an hour later they said we could re-board and would be taking off in about thirty minutes. The crowd cheered and got a little bit excited as everyone re-collected their belongings and re-boarded. We did not feel overly confident as we were sitting by a former Delta flight attendant who said she didn't think we'd get out on this particular plane. 

She was correct. 

We sat on the plane about another half hour when they announced the flight had been cancelled. No fanfare, just 'it's been cancelled'. At this point it was 11 o'clock ish and we got in the queue with everyone else on our flight to figure out a plan B. Hubs was already on the phone trying to shortcut what we knew would be a big ginormous hassle.  Not his first airport rodeo. While we were waiting a fellow passenger informed us he had just received an email saying he'd been automatically rebooked on a flight leaving at 11:55 PM so we checked our messages and found the same. 

Course we were in terminal F and the new flight was leaving from terminal E in thirty minutes, which if you know the Atlanta airport you know is a train ride away. 

I was forced to do what I have sworn I would never do again, and that is run through an airport. Never say never. 

We made it-yay! but our bags did not-boo. Our original flight found a new crew and eventually left Atlanta sometime after 1 AM, and our airline app said our bags were on that flight. We opted to plant ourselves in baggage claim and wait it out. The airport could deliver but it might be a couple of days or more, and we felt like going ahead and getting them same day was the better option. 

Three hours later we had our bags and only a small headache  

We rented a car as we're going to be hopping around a bit, and I gave hubs a pep talk before we took off. He wasn't the least bit worried, but I needed to hear the pep talk myself. Our driving instincts are so ingrained that you don't even realize how much so until you're once more sitting right, driving left. 

Turns out it's a bit like riding a bicycle and hubs fell right back into it as soon as we left the airport. When we lived here cars did not come equipped with all the warning sounds they do now. If you're too close to a curb or another car your vehicle lets you know. Fifteen years ago you learned that the hard way. You shredded tires on sharp curbs and lost a mirror or two. C'est la vie. 

It was an absolutely beautiful night when we pulled away from the airport. The sun was setting and as we zipped past fields of gold and green lit up by a full bright moon, the affection we hold for this place, this country, welled up all over again. 

Little Miss had gone to bed by the time we finally arrived at our daughter's house, but we hugged the boys, chatted a bit, then hit the hay.  Our girl left a few of our favorite sweet treats on the guest room dresser to say welcome back. We slept soundly and felt surprisingly good Wednesday morning. 

My birthday. 

It was a grand day made so sweet by so much. My daughter made us a wonderful breakfast and we savored a cup of coffee at her kitchen table which was filled with little people and their chatter. After breakfast we walked to a nearby park, saw where the boys are attending school part time, then wandered a little further to one of their favorite coffee shops/Italian markets. 

I could have filled two shopping bags with goodies from the market side, but settled for a Cappucino instead. 

We walked back home and momma made her crew lunch, then got her littlest one ready for a nap. Then hubs manned the fort (and by manned I mean he had a short nap on the couch while the boys watched a movie and little miss slept) and my daughter and I went out and had ourselves the loveliest of afternoons. 

Tea on the sixth floor of a hotel restaurant overlooking Cambridge. The sun was shining. The sky was a brilliant blue. We sat on a glassed in patio and we had a whole complete entire conversation, uninterrupted. 

We started with a glass of Prosecco because hey, it's my birthday, followed by a beautifully served traditional afternoon tea. 

There were small sandwiches...egg and cress, cucumber and mint, curried chicken salad...along with scones with jam and clotted cream (why is this not a thing in the states???), and then a selection of sweet treats including a lemon meringue tart, a chocolate mousse, and a piece of raspberry swirl cake. 

It was perfect. 

We browsed in a couple of nearby shops before heading home and then it's possible I had a short jet-lag induced nap before we went to dinner. We rode a bus into the city center for dinner at The Eagle. We're all about a great pub and this one is special. The Eagle opened in 1667 as a coaching inn and is the second oldest pub in Cambridge. 

It was in this very spot in 1953 Francis Crick announced he and James Watson had discovered 'the secret of life' after coming up with their proposal for the structure of DNA. 

More importantly I had my first plate of fish and chips with a side of mushy peas. 

Cheers to beautiful birthdays and another trip around the sun! 

Thankful Thursday

I've recently had some new visitors to my blog, which has been a lot of fun. I've visited their blogs in return and discovered some fun new bloggers to follow, something I haven't had a lot of time for in the past year. Several of these writers blog in a similar vein to me aka the everyday ordinary stuff of life, and those are my favorite posts to read. I'm pretty certain we're the silent majority on the interwebs lol. 

In an effort to get back into some sort of rhythm here I'm going to try linking up with some blog hops during the month of May. Hopefully I'll find some inspiration there, and at the very least will get back into the habit of writing. 

Note to self...take more pictures. Words come more easily when there's a photo to serve as springboard.  

Note to readers...my photography skills are something slightly less than excellent. 

All that to say, I'm participating rather late in the day today with Thankful Thursday hosted by Jennifer at Overflowing With Thankfulness.  Never too late to be grateful though, right? The news lately is just one awful crazy unbelievable thing after another, and making a short list of things I'm grateful for helps shift my perspective. 

Let's go with a list of three things on this gorgeous Thursday afternoon-

1. It's an absolutely gorgeous Thursday afternoon. 

The sun is shining, the air is warm, the pollen is ka-raZy...

Okay maybe that last one shouldn't be there but hey, if we didn't have pollen we wouldn't have plants. Perspective is everything. 

2. An afternoon cuppa. 

Like a big exhale that feels so necessary at 3 o'clock on a sunny spring day. Winter day. Any old day. 

"Tea is to the body as music is to the soul" Earlene Grey 

3. Cousin time. 

While it didn't work out for us all to be together last weekend, my girls have managed a mid-week get together with all their littles...

Where there's a will there's a way. 

Daughter1 hadn't met her brand new niece yet, and that absolutely needed to happen. And of course the rest of the crew is just party party party, so a good time was had by all. 

They're wearing the matching shirts I bought for the weekend that didn't happen (if you're in the dark you can read about that here). The boys shirts say 'cousins make the best friends',  Little Miss has 'cousin crew' printed on her pretty pink tee, and Sugar's little onesie says 'new to the cousin crew'. Trust me, they're adorable. 

And we know to take what we can get when it comes to photos with the six and unders-ha! 

Back in December I'd given both of my girls as well as both of their girls matching pjs and they remembered to wear them ...

They also remembered to take a picture which in my case is the next best thing to being there. For that I'm grateful. 

Tea And Hodgepodge

Welcome to the final Wednesday Hodgepodge in 2023. There won't be a Hodgepodge next Wednesday (December 27), but we'll be back with brand new questions in a brand new year on January 3rd. Thanks for playing along today and every Wednesday. Here we go-

1. Did you do more talking or more listening yesterday? Was it by choice or by necessity? 

Probably talking because I talk a lot. I was at home all day Tuesday, finishing up the last bits of Christmas preparation. We had people working in our yard and hubs was in and out, so maybe not as much talking as I might normally do lol. 

2. Are you a tea drinker? Hot, cold, or both? Flavored? What do you like in your tea? Do you make Christmas tea this time of year? What time of day do you like to sip your tea? 

I love tea, hot and cold both, but hot is my favorite this time of year. I have a cup most afternoons around 3 PM. I like just a splash of milk in mine, but if I'm not feeling well will drink it with honey and lemon instead. Not a big fan of flavored tea. I used to make Christmas tea (the recipe that calls for Tang), but haven't made that in years. I remember liking it a lot, but can you even find Tang in the stores anymore? 

3. What's an activity you won't try, an event you won't attend, or an athletic challenge you won't take part in not even for 'all the tea in China'? 

bungee jumping 

4. What's something most people seem to love but is not 'your cup of tea'? 

Starbucks drinks and movies based on the Marvel comics 

5. How does your family celebrate New Year's Eve?  

We're normally at home on New Year's Eve. Too many crazies on the road and I think it's been established here on the blog that I am not a night owl. We love to have friends over and this year a group of our college besties will be here to spend the weekend. We will have some nice meals, play games, lounge in our pjs and laugh til our sides hurt. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

It wouldn't be Christmas here without me sharing my favorite carol. It never gets old and the lyrics seem to pack a bigger punch with every passing year.  May the peace of Christ fill your heart and your home this holiday season. 

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 531

Hi Hodgepodgers! Here are the questions to this week's random. But first a quick note-there will not be a Hodgepodge next Wednesday (December 27). We'll be back with brand new questions in a brand new year (January 3rd). Now here we go-

1. Did you do more talking or more listening yesterday? Was it by choice or by necessity? 

2. Are you a tea drinker? Hot, cold, or both? Flavored? What do you like in your tea? Do you make Christmas tea this time of year? What time of day do you like to sip your tea? 

3. What's an activity you won't try, an event you won't attend, or an athletic challenge you won't take part in not even for 'all the tea in China'? 

4. What's something most people seem to love but is not 'your cup of tea'? 

5. How does your family celebrate New Year's Eve? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Blogging Letterman Style

I got home late last night from a trip to see my daughter in the PNW. My son-in-law was on an out of town work trip so I flew west to keep my daughter company. Also to spend time with my grandson which is always a treat, but really I was so excited to have five whole days with my girl. She and I both said we couldn't remember the last time it was just us, sans boys.

Other than the boy I mean. But he rolls where we roll so he's easy.

Anyway I thought I'd post a top ten list kind of like David Letterman used to do back when late night TV was funny. I don't think late night TV is all that funny anymore. I don't mind a little political humor, there's always been that and I think politicians are fair game, but it feels like that's all it is now so I just don't watch. Also I'm usually sound asleep by 10 PM so there's that.

Whatever. All this has absolutely nothing to do with my trip west except to say when I started thinking about a recap I thought of a top ten list which sent me down the late night TV rabbit trail.

In no particular order here are ten things I loved about my week in Washington-

1. His face when he sees me. It's like Christmas and my birthday and shooting stars across the sky.

2. Dance party with the baby boy while we belt out old Taylor Swift. Daughter1 and I agree we don't hate the new Taylor but we sure do miss the old Taylor.

3.  A cup of tea and homemade coconut raspberry scones mid afternoon.

4. Working a jigsaw puzzle with a Paris scene. Ma fille et moi aimons tout ce qui est francais!

5. Bathtime. Is there anything sweeter than a freshly bathed baby?

6. Shopping at Nordstroms.

7. Their mischievous puppy dog successfully vomiting up the two baby socks he swallowed when I turned my back for a literal split second. Just keeping it real people.

8. My daughter cooking dinner while I stack colorful plastic cups then laugh and exclaim uh-oh as baby boy knocks the tower down. Also, reading my favorite board books, making animal noises, and chasing the mancub across the room as he makes a bee line for the dog's water dish. He's fast y'all! Almost as fast as the dog going after a baby sock. Almost.

9. Grabbing hold of the teeny tiny pockets of sunshine for walks and talks and Vitamin D.

10. Knowing they will be at the lake in less than a month!

Random Thoughts From Home

I think you all know random is my forte, and I've had a busy day so I'm going with what I know in the A-Z Challenge today.

R is for Random Thoughts From Home

Not necessarily about home, but since I'm at home there's your connection. 

Firstly, let's just talk about the darling Prince George. I'm sure by now everyone has seen the picture of him standing beside the Queen, Prince William, and Prince Charles. He always looks like he's up to something with that twinkle in his eye and his big beaming smile. The photograph will be a postage stamp, and that's almost enough of a reason to visit England. I need to write myself a letter and send it back across the pond. 

There's another photo making the rounds too, showing the Queen with all the great grands and her two youngest grandchildren. The little one (Mia) holding the purse is positively too cute for words. I thought they were wonderful photographs and the Queen looks lovely too. 

I saw something today where the creator of Downton Abbey is producing a new program called Jamestown, about the early British settlers in America. I'm looking forward to it because I'm sure it will be well done, and because when hubs and I lived in Virginia we visited the Jamestown settlement. We both remember it well because my parents were with us, and as we were leaving my dad drove down the road going the wrong way. As in heading for oncoming traffic, which thankfully there wasn't much of, and hubs mentioned it to him in a casual offhand way, and my dad moved to the correct lane and all was well. 

The word Jamestown cannot be mentioned here without my girls telling the tale of our own version of the settlement. It started off as Daughter1's fifth grade social studies project. She and a friend were to create a model of the settlement and they were busy working away in the garage with toothpicks and clay and their own ideas, struggling a little to make it come together, but giving it all they had. The dads popped in to see how it was going and I think you know how this ends. Hubs likes to say he got an A. 

Yesterday Daughter2 stopped by after school and we had tea on the balcony. It was a beautiful sunny day, and our balcony sits back a bit so it was the perfect temperature. We had a long leisurely chat and Daughter1 facetimed us which is the next best thing to being there. 

Few things say home to me more than an afternoon cup of tea with my girls. 

I drink a cup of tea almost every afternoon. When we moved to England I remember thinking it was odd that people asked for hot tea on warm summer afternoons. I'm sure they found the idea of  tea poured over ice every bit as strange, and I fully adopted their way of thinking. I drink hot tea no matter what the thermometer says. 

Hubs and I are meeting some NJ neighbors tomorrow evening. They're headed south to see their very talented son perform in the opera Carmen, and since we're practically in the neighborhood we're going too. 

Neighborhood is a term we use very loosely on this side of the pond. 

I've only seen one opera in my life and that was Romeo and Juliet, sung expertly in Italian in the Verona coliseum under a starry night sky. It was completely magical...

And also my birthday. 

We're looking forward to seeing friends from tinytown NJ and catching up in person. Next week I'm having dinner with one of my bridesmaids, a college friend I haven't seen in a number of years, and I'm excited to catch up with her too. I'm also having lunch with a blog friend next week, our first time to meet in person but of course I feel like I know her.  

I guess that's enough random for one day. There's a lot of that other R word happening round here lately (real life) and I need to get back to it.  Happy weekend everyone! 

Thursday is the weekend, right? 

A Wordy Hodgepodge

Welcome to the first Hodgepodge in this brand new year! So happy to have you play along each week, and newcomers are always welcome. It's hard to visit everyone who links up here on Wednesdays, but do try to at least visit the blogger who linked before you because everybody needs somebody.  Okay, here we go-

1. What's your best piece of advice for a newly married couple? I'm asking for a friend.

Back in April I wrote a whole series of posts on the topic of marriage as part of the A-Z challenge. You can read your way through my alphabet if you're so inclined, by clicking here, but for now I'm going to paraphrase something I said back then which was this-

Love is an action word. Yes it's important to talk the talk, but it's more important to walk the walk. Married life isn't just about the big stuff. In fact, I think more than the big stuff, it's the small acts of kindness, self-sacrifice, and generosity, done regularly and without a whole lot of fanfare, that help us create a deep and lasting affection for our mate.  

Small kindnesses, in the grand scheme of things, are really not so small. They fill up the well of good will you'll need to dip from on occasion, in seasons you find challenging and on those days your spouse is maybe something less than completely lovable.

2. Before we're too far into the new year I wanted to post a question Teresa submitted during the December giveaway. Teresa blogs over at Being Refined as Silver, so everyone go say hi.

Teresa asks, "What were you doing on December 31st, 1999?" and " Did you or your family make preparations for Y2K?"

Wow. Doesn't that sound like ages and ages ago? Fifteen years so technically I guess it was. We were living in Maryland, Daughter1 age 11 and Daughter2 age 9. Sweet sweet days. We took a trip to Disney World in November of '99, and the ball at Epcot was all decked out for the big change. And for some reason I was wearing overall shorts. Moving on...

I kind of remember hubs checking our computer for some little something or other-ha! That's pretty much what I knew about computers back in 1999. In the months leading up to Y2K everyone was in a tizzy as to whether or not computers would recognize a new century. I recall getting cash out of the bank in case they didn't, and we also stocked up on groceries, powdered milk, and bottled water in case of ?. 

3. According to Global Language Monitor, the most used word of 2014 isn't a word. It's the heart emoji. Huh? How can something that's not a word be the most used word, but I digress. What do you think was your most used word in 2014?

Wedding. Insert heart emoji here. 

4. Speaking of words, it's that time again. Time for Lake Superior University to present a list of words they'd like to see banished (for over-use, mis-use, and general uselessness) in 2015. You can read more about the decision making process here, but this year's top vote getters are-

bae (before anyone else), polar vortex, hack, skill set, swag, foodie, curate/curated, friend-raising, enhanced interrogation, cra-cra (as in crazy), takeaway, and -nation (a suffering sports suffix)

Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word not on the list you'd like to add?

Polar vortex. Ugh. Can't we just call it winter? I don't understand the 24/7 news events relating to snow and cold weather. Not blizzards, but just regular old winter. The same season that's been rolling around since the dawn of time. 

Do we honestly need to be told to 'make preparations' for cold weather? Also, while I'm on a mini-rant...we're naming snowstorms now? Not just storms either, but plain ole snow, the kind we should expect to fall in January. In the middle of winter. 

Also, friend-raising should not be a word. Or a thing. Just sayin'. 

5. January is National Hot Tea Month? Are you a fan? Do you like flavored teas? How do you take your tea? Have a favorite cup or teapot? How many cups of tea do you consume in a given day?

Oh, definitely a fan. I have a cup of tea pretty much every afternoon about 3 o'clock. I blame England. I'm not a big fan of flavored teas. Give me a steaming cup of Earl Gray with just a splash of milk and I'm good to go. I believe my love affair with beautiful pottery has been well established here, so I'll just share one or two favorites. This mug-

...and my Polish pottery with matching cups and warmer to keep the water hot-

6. Whatever happened to__________________________________?

...whip n' chill, Supertramp, and Little Kiddles? Sort of lame, but those were the first very random thoughts that rolled through my head as I wrote the question. 

7. What is one book on your must-read list this winter?

I have a long list, but The Martian by Andy Weir is near the top. I'm normally not a sci-fi fan, but this book has received stellar reviews from readers who would say they don't love sci-fi either. My niece told me she didn't really want to read it, but then absolutely loved it. It's been described as Apollo 13 meets Castaway, and Hollywood scooped it up pretty quickly. The movie version will be out in November, starring Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain.  

On my non-fiction list, first up is Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Tim Keller. I like his writing, and this is a topic always on my heart and mind. 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

We won't have pictures back from our photographer for a while yet, but I feel like I should post a photo in my random thought space today. I've been 'borrowing' pics from friends and family who've posted online, and I do hope that's okay. The bride posted this one on her blog earlier this week, captured by my sister-in-law and I love it-

First dance.
Dreamy. 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 204

Since we last spoke I gained a son. So much fun! I'm recapping the whole thing (really, I like details), and I'm also fighting a nasty cold so it's slow going. You can read entries 1 and 2 by clicking here and here. 

In the meantime though, the Hodgepodge is back to her regularly scheduled programming. Here are this week's questions, and you know what to do. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to add your link to the party.  

1. What's your best piece of advice for a newly married couple? I'm asking for a friend.

2. Before we're too far into the new year I wanted to post a question Teresa submitted during the December giveaway. Teresa blogs over at Being Refined As Silver, so everyone go say hi.

Teresa asks, "What were you doing on December 31st, 1999?"and "Did you or your family make preparations for Y2K?"

3. According to Global Language Monitor, the most used word of 2014 isn't a word. It's the heart emoji. Huh? How can something that's not a word be the most used word, but I digress. What do you think was your most used word in 2014?

4. Speaking of words, it's that time again. Time for Lake Superior University to present a list of words they'd like to see banished (for over-use, mis-use, and general uselessness) in 2015. You can read more about the decision making process here, but this year's top vote getters are-

bae (before anyone else), polar vortex, hack, skill set, swag, foodie, curate/curated, friend-raising, enhanced interrogation, cra-cra (as in crazy), takeaway, and -nation (a suffering sports suffix).

Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word not on the list you'd like to add?

5.  January is National Hot Tea month? Are you a fan? Do you like flavored teas? How do you take your tea? Have a favorite cup or teapot? How many cups of tea do you consume in a given day? 

6. Whatever happened to________________________________?

7. What is one book on your must-read list this winter? 

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

Happy Feet

Today's post is brought to you by the letter F.
F is for foot massage.

But first there was tea.

I'm doing my best to write about the trip in something that resembles chronological order but there may be a day or two out of whack.  Hubs and I spent our first full day in Shanghai roaming around the city together.  The planets were all correctly aligned in the solar system which meant he could take a day of vacation before diving in to his work commitments.

No, his job has nothing to do with outer space.
He just works a lot.

This was not hubs first trip to Shanghai so he helped me get acclimated some before I had to manage the days on my own.  Here's a little secret...I like having someone else read the map,  figure out the exchange rate, and determine which way to travel on a subway.  Just sayin'.

It was drizzling a little when we left the hotel so we started our day trying to find a particular tea shop hubs had visited on a previous trip. This particular shop has tea on one side and pearls on the other. What's not to love?

We were in an area of the city known as Yu Gardens (when the letter G rolls around tomorrow guess what I'll be writing about?) and it was chock a block full of tea shops of every size and variety.  Course we needed to meander around several blocks...

past the McDonalds ...

and no less than 30 dried fish stalls...

and then down a little alley and up a flight of stairs to the one he knew.

I think afternoon tea is one of life's little necessities and I was anxious to sample some of the varieties on offer in the country where it originated.   We were seated at a small table and our hostess gave us a menu describing the taste and benefits of many different teas.  She said we could choose four to sample.

Many of the teas are said to benefit your health in some way....hmmm....do I need to remove heat from my body, aid digestion, or boost energy?  All of the above please.

Correctly brewing, pouring and serving the tea is a real art.

As is making a purchase afterwards.

Wait, what was today's letter?
F.  Foot massage.

I'll get there.  After the tea shop we headed to the gardens and after all that walking hubs declared we needed a foot massage.  Shanghai is known for this and there are places all over the city, but of course hubs knew a place so that's where we headed.

I have to say, this was one of the best things ever.  The salon was so calm and quiet and a little bit dark and there was soft music playing.  They took us into a room with big comfy chairs that you sunk yourself into, after you've put on your pink flowered pajama pants.  I'll spare you a picture of hubs in his.  And of course they served you tea and a plate of fresh fruit because we're in China remember?  The foot massage started at the top of my head and she worked a knot out of my shoulder that I'm pretty sure has been there since 1975.    It was bliss.

So this was Day 2.
And only a part of Day 2.
I sure hope 26 posts will be enough.