A Beachy Hodgepodge

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

1. When does time pass slowly for you? When does time past quickly for you? 

Slowly? I could answer this in a number of ways but let's go with the obvious...time passes slowly while  wearing a boot in the middle of summer in order to heal a stress fracture. 'nuff said. 

Quickly? Now. This season of life. After a certain age you are just hyper aware of the passing of time, or at least I am. 

2. Do you have a favorite beach? What's your favorite 'beach' activity? Tell us what we'd find in your beach bag.

I wrote a post on Tuesday about my favorite beach. I love many beaches but if I have to pick a favorite the one I wrote about would be numero uno. Marco Island Florida. You can read the post here-Just Beachy

My favorite beach activity-a low beach chair at the edge of the water,  just far enough in to the surf to feel it wash over my feet, but not so far in that the water swamps me and the book on my lap. 

In my beach bag-sunscreen, a towel, a book, snacks, goggles, a coverup, chapstick with spf,  diving rings for the kids, a comb, a pair of quick dry shorts, and my accupressure bands for any unanticipated rocky boat rides.  

3. Your favorite book or movie with a beach setting? 

Book-The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher...if you've never read this one I recommend. 

4. What's a food you love, but find it's a pain to eat? Is it worth it? 

Steamed blue crabs coated in Old Bay. Is it worth it? 1000% yes. Now look at these babies...

This picture was taken the day we met our now son-in-law for the very first time. He was doing a stint at Walter Reed Hospital, daughter1 lived in D.C,  and we were in Annapolis for something, so we all met to spend the day together. You should know we lived in Annapolis for nine years and are crab snobs. 

Maryland blue crabs (they're blue before they're steamed) eaten beside the water are the best and I won't argue about this. 

Anyway, we walked around town and made him  asked him to pose in front of the Naval Academy sign, much to his dismay (he was Army). Afterwards we had a crab feast at one of our favorite places on one of the hottest days of the year. And now here we are twelve years later, they have three kids and are living 4 miles from us in a South Carolina lake town. Time is funny. 

5.  Do you like roller coasters? What's the best (or worst) roller coaster you've been on? 

I am not a fan of roller coasters. I have never been a fan of roller coasters. In fact, I will go so far as to say if I never get talked into taking a ride another roller coaster ever ever ever it's all good. 

I liked The Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disney. Is that considered a coaster? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We've been living on tomato sandwiches this month. Daughter1's mother-in-law brought us a big bag full from their garden,  and now we're dining on some from our own plant too...

I know I'm breaking one of the cardinal rules of tomato sandwiches here by making ours on wheat bread, but we don't eat white bread and wheat, very lightly toasted, is delish.  I do use the required mayo which is a no-brainer since I live in the land of Dukes. 

Also it's the best. 

More Stuff I Was Going To Tell You But Never Did

I could probably start a weekly series here with that same title, but for the time being let's move forward. Actually backwards to finish the two week catch up I was supposed to finish last week. 

Guess I'm back to being two weeks behind. Hmmm.

One nice thing about the cities my girls are currently living in is their proximity to hubs family, specifically his mom. It's not too far out of the way to go by her house on our way to/from Daughter1's, so we made plans to pick her up on the way back to the lake when we left the kids. 

We have not spent a lot of in-person time with her this winter, mostly because she made a move in December, everyone's calendars are so busy (hers maybe most of all-true story!) and the comings and goings have just not gelled. 

This time we intentionally made it happen, breezed by her house, met hubs brother and sister-in-law for lunch (the pup always so so happy to see my sister-in-law), then drove on to the lake to spend the week together. We had such a nice time working puzzles, playing cards, talking about how cute and completely precious her great grands are, and we squeezed in a couple of fun outings too. 

On our first day home we finally took the inaugural boat ride of the season. The only boat ride so far, but technically it's not summer yet, right? Boating on a weekday here is the way to go, especially early in the season. The lake is calm, quiet, and gorgeous. 

Hubs had appointments all day Thursday so we girls went to lunch, then rode up to a nearby waterfall to see what we could see. My mother-in-law is always game for everything and was wishing she had a different pair of shoes with her so we could climb down to the bottom. 

I was happy she did not have a different pair of shoes with her. 

It was a spectacular day weather wise, the trees were every shade of green God created, and so many beautiful plants were in bloom. 

On Saturday we had tickets to go to the Scottish games in the nearby small big city. They're actually held every year on the university campus where my girls went to school and it's a gorgeous setting. The Memorial Day weather was not the best, but we had a fun full day there, leaving just as the rains came. 

The thing you need to know about my mother-in-law is she knows someone everywhere she goes. We saw a woman wearing a Tennessee hat at the festival and next thing you know she and my m-i-l are chatting like long lost friends. Turns out the woman's husband had played the bagpipes at a funeral the week before in my m-i-l's church so of course they had mutual friends. 

Also, hubs did not fall far from the tree when it comes to never meeting a stranger. Just sayin'. 

We watched a lot of the athletic events including the caber toss and the sheaf toss, both of which are pretty impressive. We also spent some time watching and listening to the pipe and drum competition which was fun.

A drummer in one group was blind and had someone standing beside him (maybe his dad?) to assist with direction. 

People are just amazing, aren't they? 

There were lots of Scottish and British treats and while we opted not to have the haggis, we did have some really good fish and chips. We wandered the many vendor stalls, found my son-in-law's clan, and just enjoyed the festive friendly atmosphere and all the people watching. 

On Sunday we went to church, then to lunch at a local 'landmark' which is one step up from a dive but is very, very well loved. It's always busy, and the 'meat and three' on their Sunday menu is  good. Do you have meat and threes where you live? We did not have those where I grew up, but it's a thing here. 

Hubs and the pup (where hubs goes he goes) drove his mom back to Tennessee on Monday and I stayed  home to regroup here. It's a rare day where I'm alone in my own house and I gotta say I didn't hate it. Hubs will laugh when he reads this and declare that an understatement, but whatever. I enjoy having him home and I hope he knows that. I am also someone who needs space and I know he knows that lol. 

Okay, we're all caught up. 

Almost caught up. 

Halfway caught up which is something. 

Have a nice week everyone! 

Happy Halloween! And Other November Things

I am obsessed with autumn this year. Every year I guess, but this year especially. 

I think it's the light. The light is pure gold and the lake off peak is gentle and still. 

I know the days are shorter, but the way the sunlight breaks through the trees makes up for that. Blue jeans, fires, cozy mornings, change...just give me all the autumn things. 

Hubs and I took a drive across the border a couple of weeks ago to have lunch at The Greystone Inn on Lake Toxaway. 

Spectacular. 

Let's see...what else...hmmm... hey, remember Halloween? Ha! 

Cutest family ever. I love all the 'themed' costumes you see young families coming up with today. 

Speaking of cute, do you also remember the newlyweds? 

They were here this past weekend en route to their new home some distance south of us. West of us? Somewhere that's not here, but not too too far from here either. We had a wonderful visit as evidenced by this picture taken late Saturday afternoon-

And I'm sure you remember Hunley-

He won the Garden and Gun Magazine Reader's Choice award and continues to live his best life every single day. You can read a link to the article on their website here. 

The contest was a lot of fun and he received over 90,000 votes. People had to detox from their phones and their Facebook when it was all over because friends, and friends of friends, and former coworkers, and their friends, and Boykin Spaniel lovers the world over were all in on this thing for an entire month. 

I've thought about the way we entered this contest on a lark and how it literally took off, and why that was. I've decided it was about so much more than a dog photo. I think people were so eager for a distraction from this upside down world we are living in, so hungry for a break from all things political, anxious to forget all the scolding and the judging and the lecturing and the shaming and the canceling, so much so that they devoted themselves to something simple, something happy...

A little brown dog, who for a time in the middle of a beautiful autumn and an angry world, connected us in a way that made us smile.

Let's keep smiling. 

Life In The Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered this week's questions, add your link at the end of my post. Be sure to leave a comment for the blogger before you so the blog world keeps on turning. Here we go-

1. Do you (or did you used to) watch talk shows? Which are or were your favorite? 

I don't watch any talk shows currently. I was never a die-hard fan but (going to date myself here) I did watch some Phil Donahue back in the day. I also liked Regis and Kathie Lee in their early years. 

Hubs and I used to love The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, but late night talk shows today are just another excuse to rant about politics so we don't tune in. 

2. Would you describe yourself as resilient? If so what do you think made you that way? If you answered no explain why? 

Yes I would describe myself as resilient. I've moved a lot and that's probably the biggest contributor, particularly living outside of America. Growing up with three siblings I'm sure plays a part too. 

3. What parts of life have surprised you the most. Explain. 

I'm going with retirement. It takes more figuring out than I imagined. I don't really even know what I imagined exactly...when I was a kid it seemed like everyone who retired played golf and lunched with friends. Life is so much more complicated than that. 

4. Why do you live where you live? 

Well it's beautiful for one thing. We're retired and can live wherever we want, we love the south, we wanted to be on the water, and you just can't beat the view-

5. A memory from this week that made you smile? 

Pumpkin patch pictures courtesy of these cuties' Momma-

I mean, seriously....

How can you not smile? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Raise your hand if you've ever cooked pheasant? If your hand is up and you have a great recipe send it my way. Vegetarians look away-

Hubs has been in South Dakota with some friends and former colleagues and also his brother who was able to make the trip this year too, so extra fun. 

They'll bring home some birds and while I've cooked them before I'm always interested in trying something new. For the record I only cook them...hubs is in charge of plucking off any feathers that have to stay on through the airport checkpoint.  

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A Hopeful Hodgepodge

Welcome to the weekly Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered this week's questions add your link at the end of my post. Be sure to leave a comment for the blogger linking before you because that's what good neighbors do. Here we go- 

1. "Hope springs eternal"...discuss. 

Hope is one of my favorite words. Hope is what allows us to maintain a sense of optimism when pessimism seems the more obvious choice, and we need that. For me personally, my hope is not in this tired troubled earth somehow turning itself around, but in the God who made it and loves us like no other. I don't have to go looking for it or dig too deep to find it. He always keeps His promises and the sureness of that allows me to remain ever hopeful. 

2. Last time you needed to 'spring into action' or 'spring to someone's defense'...explain. 

Coincidentally last night I reached for something on my nightstand and ended up knocking a glass of water to the floor. It was a tumbler with a lid but the lid was open so water went everywhere including the floor, nightstand, and the sheets. Bother. 

Then today I was changing out the ink cartridge in the printer and the bright blue exploded upon opening. Double bother. Thankfully I was holding it over the box, so my hand took the brunt of it but I had to spring into action to keep it from going everywhere. 

3. Tulips or daffodils? baby birds or baby bunnies? The cherry tree or the dogwood tree? Jelly beans or peeps? March madness or spring training? Peas or carrots? 

Tulips, baby birds, a cherry tree in full bloom please, give me ALL the jelly beans, March madness, and peas AND carrots, but if I can only have one I'll opt for the carrots. 

4. I read an article here on the South's best cities on the rise. They are-Baton Rouge Louisiana, Fayetteville Arkansas, Greenville South Carolina, Huntsville Alabama, Lexington Kentucky, Norfolk Virginia, Tulsa Oklahoma, Waco Texas, Wilmington North Carolina, and Winston-Salem North Carolina. Of the cities listed how many have you seen in person? Which one on the list would you most like to see? Have you spent much time in the southern states (USA)? Any spring road trips on your calendar? 

I've spent about 1/3 of my life living in various locales south of the Mason Dixon, and I currently reside in a lake town very near one of the cities on the list. I'm not going to mention it here because it's becoming a little too popular thanks to lists like this one. 

I've been to just four of the cities listed and tops on my list to visit would be Lexington.  I think we were in the vicinity when we did the Bourbon trail a couple of years ago, but there is more I'd like to see and it's close enough to drive. 

5. Tell us how your outdoor space needs sprucing up this spring? Which do you enjoy more (or hate the least-ha!) yard work or house work? 

Outdoor spaces are a perpetual work in progress, or at least ours seem to be. I've never lived in a house that didn't need something done in the yard/garden every year. Many somethings actually. 

We need to re-pine straw the hillside. We need to plant trees to replace trees we had to remove which sounds crazy, but the ones we had taken down were in danger of falling on the house and we weren't taking any chances. We also want to add more hydrangea, azalea, and about a dozen other things to various spots around the yard. We need to clean out and replant the herb garden. We need to put plants in all our many planters. And the list goes on. And on and on and on...

As far as preferring house or yard work? I find satisfaction in a little bit of both.  

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

If you follow me on Facebook or Insta then you know my daughter's wedding photos are here and we could not love them more. Our photographer (Chris Isham Photography) is so talented and also a genuinely nice person to work with. He is kind and creative and most importantly unobtrusive in the way he captures all the special moments of your special day. He's local, but does travel all over for weddings. I highly recommend. 

So. We have 1011 photos and I guess I can't share them all here can I. Can I? No I thought not. But I do plan to share more than a few over the next few days/blogs and this random Wednesday space is a good place to begin-

One of my favorites. 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 413

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

1. "Hope springs eternal"...discuss. 

2. Last time you needed to 'spring into action' or 'spring to someone's defense'...explain. 

3. Tulips or daffodils? baby birds or baby bunnies? The cherry tree or the dogwood tree? Jelly beans or peeps? March madness or spring training? Peas or carrots? 

4. I read an article here on the South's best cities on the rise. They are-Baton Rouge Louisiana, Fayetteville Arkansas, Greenville South Carolina, Huntsville Alabama, Lexington Kentucky, Norfolk Virginia, Tulsa Oklahoma, Waco Texas, Wilmington North Carolina, and Winston-Salem North Carolina. Of the cities listed how many have you seen in person? Which one on the list would you most like to see? Have you spent much time in the southern states (USA)? Any spring road trips on your calendar? 

5. Tell us how your outdoor space needs sprucing up this spring? Which do you enjoy more (or hate the least-ha!) yard work or house work? 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Hot Hot Hotdgepodge

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. It's a hot one here in the Palmetto State, hence our theme. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then be a good neighbor and go leave a comment for the blogger linking before you. Thanks for playing along today-

1.  Do you think the pandemic has had any kind of positive impact on your mental health? Explain.

Hmmm...I will say I've honestly appreciated the slowdown to an always busy jam packed calendar. I think too, the opportunity for rest and reflection without feeling like I should be doing a hundred other things has been good for my soul.

2. A hot mess, hot under the collar, in hot water, hot button, hot diggity dog!, hot shot, hot seat....choose one and tell us how it applies to your life currently.

I live in the southland so I'm going with a hot mess. 
As in America is a bit of a hot mess these days. 
Bless her heart. 

3. Speaking of the hot seat, do you work well under pressure or do you actively avoid high pressure situations?

If we're talking about accomplishing tasks and getting things done then yes, I work well under pressure. If we're talking confrontation then no, I do my absolute best to avoid it. 

4. Hotdogs-yay or nay? If you said yay how do you like yours? Did you know July is National hotdog month?

I do love a hotdog, make mine with mustard and relish please, except hold the hot dog because I rarely indulge these days. 

5. I read here a list of America's coolest Southern towns. They are Marfa Texas, Greenville South Carolina, Abindgon Virginia, Athens Georgia, Bentonville Arkansas, Florence Alabama, Oxford Mississippi, Abita Springs Louisiana, Wilmington North Carolina, Monroeville Alabama, McMinnville Tennessee, Natchez Mississippi.  How many on the list have you seen in person? Which town on the list would you most like to see?

Well one of these cities is near and dear to my heart and I happen to live nearby. I don't want to say which one because it's made a lot of these types of lists and is becoming something of a destination for tourists. Besides the one I'm not mentioning I've also been to Abindgon Virginia but it's been a while. 

Of the cities listed I'm most interested in Athens, Bentonville, and Oxford. 

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

"It is almost impossible to watch a sunset and not dream." Bernard Williams 

January Kinds Of Stuff

Which is code for sort of slow and not that interesting, but y'all know I'm going to talk anyway.

Let's start by stating the obvious. It's cold here. I feel like it's cold everywhere, but this is the south and we're delicate. Ha! Not really, southerners are tough except when it comes to cold weather. I probably sound like my granny saying this, but I think my blood has gotten thinner since we moved to the Palmetto State.

On the bright side I've been wearing my favorite jacket, warm boots, and fur collar which typically don't come out of the closet here in the southland. Hubs and I bundled up Saturday for a walk because even though it was frigid the sky was bright blue and the air was crystal clear. Also we ate far too many cookies over the holidays so a walk seemed in order. I had to be talked into it, but as is nearly always the case once I was out I loved it.

I also loved lounging by the fire in my cozy bathrobe but this was nice too.

We went to the movies Saturday afternoon because hubs cannot be sitting around doing nothing for more than a day even though in my mind napping and Netflix is not 'doing nothing'. We saw The Greatest Showman and both of us really enjoyed it. There weren't many people in any of the theaters and I feel like maybe everyone is sick of Hollywood.

Or is that just me?

I did not watch a single second of The Golden Globes because I'm so weary of people behaving badly then congratulating themselves for calling attention to the fact that people are behaving badly when they are those people.

Were you here for a rant today? Sorry.

The movie was good, a musical so you do have to appreciate a musical, but I loved the soundtrack. Afterwards we had a glass of wine and a small bite to eat because we just haven't been doing big dinners this week, and then we hunkered back down in front of the fire which is where January is meant to be lived.

We went to church Sunday and while I'm on a rant, if you have a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad cough please stay home. God understands. I feel like it's a real challenge to avoid the flu this winter, but I'm trying.

Sunday evening my teacher daughter2 texted to say she wouldn't have school today. She said the forecast called for ice and all the area schools had already announced they would be closed on Monday.  I had a doctors appointment in the small big city at 9 am today so figured I'd spend the morning rescheduling.

Except not so much as a raindrop fell.

Hubs drove me since we were thinking there would be ice at some point, but instead I was in and out of the doctors office in record time, we had breakfast at a favorite little spot in town, then hubs sat and waited for me to get my nails repolished because why not? It wasn't raining ice.

Or even rain for that matter.

Hubs pointed out I mistakenly chose a crimson shade for my nails when I really should have picked red, except when it comes to nail polish I prefer crimson. Football teams are another matter. We're going to watch the game with a bunch of GA fans tonight which is fine by us since GA has always felt like Tennessee's cousin and also we never root for Bama.

I think that catches you up on our weekend, but just to be sure I glanced at the photos in my phone to see if I'd forgotten anything. Pretty sure the only thing I left out here is a picture I sent to my daughter of the shampoo bottles in my guest bathroom because she wanted to buy that same brand.

January was made for slow.

A Grand Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge. I've got a houseful this week, but will do my best to read your posts before next Wednesday rolls around. Here we go-

  

1. What takes you out of your comfort zone?

Physical challenges if I'm with a group of athletic types. 

2. Your least favorite spice?

Sage. I can only handle it in minuscule amounts. 

3. What's a small change you'd like to make?

After living in this house for a year I really need to rearrange my pantry. There's also that one kitchen cabinet driving me bonkers and I should deal with that too. I have a large pantry and organized it the way I thought best when we moved in, but there are a couple of shelves that don't make sense now that I'm using the space on a daily basis. I also have a cabinet that every time I open it I say to myself, '  'I really need to get in here and rearrange', but have I? No. 

4. Do you enjoy visiting historic homes? If so, of the homes you've visited which one was your favorite? What historic home near you is open to visitors? Have you been? Southern Living rounded up eleven of the best in the southern part of the US and they're as follows-

Monticello (Jefferson's home in Virginia), Nathaniel Russel House (Charleston SC), Swan House (Atlanta), Ernest Hemingway's home (Key West), The Biltmore (Vanderbilt home in Asheville NC), Mount Vernon (Washington's home in Virgina), San Francisco Plantation (Garyville, Louisiana), Windsor Ruins (Port Gibson Mississippi), Longue Vue House and Gardens (New Orleans), Whitehall (Palm Beach FL), and Pebble Hill Plantation (Thomasville GA)

Have you been to any on the list? Of the homes listed which would you most like to visit?

I love touring old homes (or new homes for that matter) and if a fabulous garden is attached so much the better. My favorite? Impossible! I lived in England for six years and pretty much every village has an historic home or ten.

Then there's all those castles, which I think could correctly be labeled 'historic home'. All of Europe too, so like I said-impossible! We lived not far from Waddesdon Manor and I always enjoyed visiting there. In the USA I'd say Monticello and The Biltmore are both favorites. 

Currently I live very close to Clemson University and there's an antebellum home there called Fort Hill. It was at one time the home of 19th century statesman John C. Calhoun. We haven't been yet but will definitely visit sometime in the new year. 

Of the homes on the list I've been to Monticello, Ernest Hemingways home, The Biltmore, and Mount Vernon. I'd like to see Longue Vue House and Gardens because I love historic homes, but I especially love pretty gardens. 

5. What's something you think will be obsolete in ten years? Does that make you sad or glad?

The U.S. Mail and yes that makes me sad. I still look forward to my daily stroll to the mailbox, particularly this time of year. 

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

Look who's here-

Is he just the cutest, or what? This is his very first trip to The Palmetto State which I'll write about as soon as I write about our recent trip from the Palmetto state to see him in his own home state. 

Which might end up being one big post all lumped together under the title grandparenting is grand.  Because y'all! This grandparenting thing is the absolute best! 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 329

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

 

1. What takes you out of your comfort zone?

2. Your least favorite spice?

3. What's a small change you'd like to make?

4. Do you enjoy visiting historic homes? If so, of the homes you've visited which one was your favorite? What historic home near you is open to visitors? Have you been? Southern Living rounded up eleven of the best in the southern part of the US and they're as follows-

Monticello (Jefferson's home in Virginia), Nathaniel Russel House (Charleston SC), Swan House (Atlanta), Ernest Hemingway's home (Key West), The Biltmore (Vanderbilt home in Asheville NC), Mount Vernon (Washington's home in Virgina), San Francisco Plantation (Garyville, Louisiana), Windsor Ruins (Port Gibson Mississippi), Longue Vue House and Gardens (New Orleans), Whitehall (Palm Beach FL), and Pebble Hill Plantation (Thomasville GA)

Have you been to any on the list? Of the homes listed which would you most like to visit?

5. What's something you think will be obsolete in ten years? Does that make you sad or glad?

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

'Twas The Hodgepodge Before Thanksgiving...

Happy Thanksgiving Eve and welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge! If you've answered the questions on your own blog add your link at the end of my post, then go say hello to your neighbor. Grateful for many things, the community here being one of them. Thanks for playing along here today and every Wednesday.

Here we go-

1. What's something you might say runs in your family? 

Hmmm...blue eyes? Chattiness? Our skills with a knife? The women in my family are known for our clumsiness with a knife. Hubs says I'm not allowed to use sharp instruments when he's away. 

2. I read here a list of ten things you should do before 2017 arrives (in less than six weeks!)...which tasks on the list might you do? What would you add to your own 'before the year ends' list? 

visit your Dr. or dentist, deep clean your home, donate unwanted items to charity, look someone in the eye and tell them you love them, write an honest letter to yourself, clean up your inbox-desktop-photos, travel somewhere you've never been, compliment a stranger, watch the sunrise, think ahead to your goals/plans for the new year

I have a dental appointment scheduled, we're cleaning as we unpack boxes and also donating many items to charity, I'm sure I'll tell someone I love them, compliment a stranger, and will think about the new year. We watch the sunrise most mornings so I've got that one covered.

I'll be traveling in January to a couple of places I've never been before, but nothing between now and the end of 2016.  I do need to get a handle on my inbox and photos, so that's going on the to-do list for sure. I don't think I'll write myself a letter, but I blog and keep a journal which serves a similar purpose. 

What would I add? I'm going to say take some time to enjoy this new space. We've been going great guns since we moved in, and I'd like a breather before the new year rolls around. 

3. What's something other generations (not your own) misunderstand about your generation? 

We're still young on the inside. 

4. Sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, cornbread dressing-which would you miss the most if it weren't on the holiday dinner menu?

Cornbread dressing for sure, with mashed potatoes coming in a close second. Thanksgiving is about the only time we have dressing and I look forward to it every year. Mashed potatoes aren't on our regular menu rotation either, so that would be my runner up answer. I bake sweet potatoes fairly often. 

5. What are you overthinking right now? 

Probably logistics for the next couple of days. Even my lists have lists. What goes in the oven when? Who sleeps where? What do I need to pick up when I make my seven millionth trip to the store? 

6. Your favorite slang word lately? 

I was looking at a website where kids could weigh in on their favorite slang and one was quoted as saying,' "Kids create slang and adults make it un-hip.' 

Alrighty then. I'm going with 'hip'. 

7. Write an acrostic for the word grateful.

Grace 

Rest

Afternoon tea

Technology and the people who make it happen

Early morning sunrise from my family room window

Fall

USA, her natural beauty and her freedoms

Little girls who grow into remarkable women

8. Insert your own random thought here.

So collards-yay or nay? Or never had em? Definitely a southern thing, and we've got a sink full. My daughter's in-laws have a bumper crop so hubs went over there today and picked some to add to our Thanksgiving menu. My mom loves them and was happy to hear it. 

Daughter1's father-in-law even gave hubs some hog jowl to add to the pot. I'm from NJ, but I still think that's the secret to delicious collards. They wilt down like spinach, but still we've got plenty. We cook ours with a little water, chicken broth, and tarragon vinegar and then add a pinch of red pepper flakes for good measure. I told hubs he needed to cook them today because a house needs to smell like turkey and dressing on Thanksgiving Day, not vinegar. 

Also I loooove my great big farmhouse sink. 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Sit A Spell

S is for Sweet Southern Comfort

Do you have a porch? I'm a little bit obsessed and I blame it on the south. Porches and the south go together like biscuits and gravy, shrimp and grits, home grown tomatoes and a glass of sweet tea. I've had decks and patios and stoops, but never an honest to goodness porch. 

The new house will have a screened in porch, and at one end will be this-

That's a fireplace, or it will be eventually. And I'll have a kitchen door, another minor obsession, to let the light in and keep the bugs out. 

At the opposite end of the porch will be this-

A view of the lake and the great outdoors. 

Y'all come sit a spell! 

On the Road Again. Or Still?

It's Monday which means time to check in here. I'm so ready to get settled into our apartment and then hopefully into some sort of routine with my writing. We shall see.

Hubs and I have been on the road all week which I know surprises no one, and guess what? We'll be on the road all this week too. As I've been saying for several months now... 'tis a season.

Except I think 'on the road' is a way of life here as opposed to just a season, but I like to pretend one day we'll be settled down with our feet up and no place to go.

Also we really do enjoy all the going, we just need a little staying now and then for balance. ahem.

We left NJ last Tuesday and took our time getting to SC. We arrived on Wednesday morning, and headed straight for the lake to dump a carful of belongings. Not in the lake, but in the storage unit we're renting near the lake. We've got the little red car in storage there too, and she started right up on the first try. That doesn't always happen with the little red car, but apparently heat and humidity agree with her, so whoohoo!

Next stop was back to town to my sister and brother-in-law's home to dump the rest of our luggage, shower, change and then head back over to the other side of town to collect Daughter2 for dinner with the in-laws. Not her in-laws or our in-laws, but Daughter1's in-laws.

Course Daughter1 and her hubs were way over on the west coast where they currently reside, but their families had a lot of fun catching up over dinner. Both sisters were there too, just no newlyweds. Pretty sure we're going to see the kid's in-laws more than they do, but that's okay because it gives us a chance to talk about them. Hi kids!

Thursday I broke down and got a haircut, my first since we moved. I went to my daughter2's stylist so it wasn't too traumatic. Y'all finding a new girl to cut my hair ranks high on the list of move stressors. We had a nice lunch afterwards with Daughter2 (I'm not even living there yet, but already loving how easy it is to see her) and then we drove back out to the lake to meet up with our builder.

He had our actual large blueprints and also the gazillion pages that go behind the floorpans. All the lines and squiggles and footnotes referring to insulation and electricity and foundations and muckity muck muck. Oh I know it's all important, but I want hubs to worry about the part that's not fun. Just skip straight to the pretty drawings of my house please.

It feels very official to have blueprints, although there are still one or two little bits and pieces that need correcting, and we have to tag trees on the lot as to what stays and what goes, and then somebody has to come say it's okay because you can't just knock down all the trees when you're beside the water, nor would we want to, and then there's all the choosing and the paying of course, but still... it's nice to have blueprints.

On Friday we met Daughter2 for breakfast, then hubs drove me to meet up with some college friends so we could transfer my luggage to their car for the ride to North Carolina. We're moving to South Carolina which I know is confusing, but I was going to a sorority reunion in North Carolina. And hubs was going on to Tennessee to catch up with his folks, because we were in the neighborhood.

More or less.

I had a fabulous weekend in the mountains with college girlfriends. The kind of weekend where we talk too much and laugh too much and relax to the nth degree. In other words-perfection. 

The view's not bad either.

The weekend went by way too fast, and on Sunday hubs picked me up and we headed back to NJ. It was slow going because have mercy, the traffic! Yikes! What should have taken ten hours took fourteen so we didn't roll into my mom's driveway until 1:30 in the morning. I know! 

We have a glorious forty eight hours with no where to be, then it's back in the car and over the border. Legally of course-ha! We're going to a wedding in Canada, and since Prince Edward Island is basically the end of the earth, we're making some stops along the way. It's a beautiful part of the world, and we are so looking forward to catching up with friends as we travel north.

Life is a highway, and we're riding it that's for sure!