Hodgepodge Questions-Vol 109

Here are this week's questions for the Wednesday Hodgepodge...everyone is welcome to play along.  Answer on your own blog then scoot back over here tomorrow (that would be Wednesday) to link answers with everybody and their brother.  More or less.

1. Lake Superior University has once again published a list of words/phrases they think should be banished from the Queen's English...here's the list for 2013-

fiscal cliff, kick the can down the road, double down, job creators/creation, passion/passionate, yolo (an acronym for you only live once), spoiler alert, bucket list, trending, superfood, boneless wings, and guru

Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why. Go here to read more about how the words were chosen.

2.  When was the last time you rode a train?  Where did you go?

3. Bagels-yay or nay?  Favorite 'flavor'?  Favorite topping?

4.  'Tis the season of awards shows...if you could star in a movie already made which one would you choose?

5. The move towards single gender classrooms has been making the news in recent months....what say you?  Do you think kids perform better if seperated by gender and are taught differently or is that discrimination?  If you're a parent, is this something you'd support in regard to your own children?

6. What's your favorite thing about staying in a hotel?

7. Do you have a 'word' for 2013?  What's the story behind your choice?

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Pea Soup

We've had the strangest weather all weekend.  Fog so thick that in some spots, you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.  Like pea soup.  All day Saturday, all day Sunday, and still hanging around this morning.  I'm here to tell ya it's getting old...we are so ready for the sun to break through.  I feel like I'm in England.

Actually, no I don't.
Even three straight days of gray skies and thick fog cannot trick me into thinking that.

Hubs and I had a nice weekend, very low key.
Low key is blog speak for not a lot to blog about.

We ate out a lot, twice on Saturday in fact. It seemed like the thing to do given the fog. When it comes to eating out, any old reason works for me. We also did fun things like drop off dry cleaning and a big grocery shop and hubs chopped the ice off the end of the driveway. He also took the Christmas wreaths off the pillars because the snow finally melted enough that you could actually see them, and I sorted through the paperwork mountain accumulating on the desk. We watched some football, and we're in agreement this was not our season. I think I said that last year, but this year was really not our year.

In other exciting weekend news, we're catching up on Downton Abbey. Are you watching, because it seems like the whole of America is hooked. Confession-we hadn't seen even the first episode prior to Christmas. I know this sounds ridiculous, but sometimes watching British programming makes us feel a little blue. The girls bought us the first two seasons for Christmas so we caved, and are now midway through Season 2.  I've been recording Season 3 so we'll be all caught up soon...I guess I don't need to add that we love it.

I made Cream of Parsnip soup last night because soup and fog and Sunday afternoon football go together.  I know some of you are turning up your noses, but trust me, it's delicious. Plus, I got a new immersion blender for Christmas so blending stuff is fun.

I'm starting a new volunteer opportunity this morning that I'm excited about, and then the rest of the week will be spent with Daughter1.  You'll find us painting the town red down in DC.

Okay, in reality we'll be shopping and gabbing and lunching, but painting the town red sounds more interesting, don't you think?  I could insert a really bad pun here about it being inauguration weekend and how we'll be a bright spot of red amidst all that blue...but I won't. Daughter1 works in close proximity to the White House, and I'll be meeting her for lunch most days, but I'm pretty sure we'll steer clear of the craziness as much as possible.

And if that's not possible then next Monday's post will be a lot less bland.

More spice.
Less pea soup.

Friday at Five

It's still Friday and I have a head full of fragments...what better place to drop them than right here?  I don't really have anything of substance to say but,  a) when have I ever let a little thing like no substance keep me from blogging?,  and 2) I'm trying to get back in the writing groove which I think we can all agree is no easy feat post-Christmas.

I had a dozen women here for lunch today and I didn't cook a thing. I hosted our Gourmet Group and the great thing about hosting is no cooking. Your house is the venue and all you're required to provide are the beverages. I knew hosting in early January would motivate me to get every single solitary Christmas item packed up and put away, and on top of that my house would also get cleaned.

Ta-da!...it's done!

Speaking of yummy recipes, when daughter2 was home we made a delicious avocado-shrimp-grapefruit salad we'd seen on Pinterest, and it was a keeper.  The shrimp would have been delicious over pasta, but I suppose greens were the better option following a month of sugar cookies.  Sigh.

You'll find the recipe here.

I'm reading The House of Tyneford by Natasha Solomons in case anyone is interested. If you're a fan of Downton Abbey you would probably enjoy this book too.

My car is at the dealer today getting new tires so I have a loaner vehicle.  I'm not always good at noticing when something needs repairing on my vehicle.  Hubs will get in and say, 'How long has it been making that noise?' and I'll say, 'What noise?'  That answer frustrates him just a little-Ha!

Anyway, the dealer called and they will need to keep the car through the weekend which means I have to drive this loaner vehicle for a couple more days.  I really try not to drive the loaner vehicle anywhere except to/from the dealer which means hubs and I have to go out for breakfast tomorrow.

Here's how I made that happen-I was going to run to the store after picking up my car, but now I'm not picking up my car so there won't be any cream in the house for tomorrow morning's coffee.  I used the last of the cream at my luncheon today and Voila!...breakfast out.

We rented Salmon Fishing in the Yemen while Daughter2 was home, and watched it over the New Year's weekend. We all liked it a lot. I'd read the book, but the movie didn't get much publicity so I'd kind of forgotten I wanted to see it.  Sweet story and I'm a big fan of Emily Blunt.

In other Pinterest news...my daughter2 showed me something she'd seen that she thought was a cute idea for parents of young children.  Trace your child's hand on paper, write a bible verse you want to pray for them across the palm, and then keep it in your bible so you'll remember to do just that.  

Hey, you're never too old to have your hand traced....

Or to benefit from a mother's prayers. 

Rain is moving our way this weekend, but not until Sunday.  That means I should be able to squeeze in both a walk and a nap.   

Housework, weather, car repairs...you're glad you stopped by here today, aren't you?  

It's Always Sunny in the Hodgepodge

When I posted these questions yesterday I thought they were just eh, but I actually enjoyed answering them.  Be sure to add your link to the bottom of my post and then run off and see what everyone else is saying~

1.  What is one thing or area in your home or life you hope to report is completely organized when 2013 draws to a close?  Do you have a plan to make it happen?

I'm pretty sure I have said this every January since moving into this house, but my photos are still not organized the way I'd like for them to be.  Maybe 2013 will be my year?

2.  What's the worst uniform you've ever had to wear for a job?

When I was a senior in high school I worked in a nursing home. I had to wear a white dress made of polyester and to top it off, a hair net in my hair.  That seemed cruel at age seventeen. 

I also worked as a camp counselor and we all agreed some years the staff shirts were better than others. The shirts were paired with red shorts and worn on Sunday afternoons as we greeted incoming campers.  A bunch of us discussed this very thing at a recent summer reunion and everyone remembers the summer of the collared shirt.  It was not our best look.  

3. What was your last kitchen 'mishap'?  This question comes to you courtesy of Betty who blogs over at A Glimpse into Midlife...everyone go say hi to Betty!

I don't have too many mishaps in the kitchen, at least not so far as food is concerned.  

Would not being able to figure out how to operate my new food processor count as a mishap?  My mother bought me one as a gift back in the summer and I finally got it out over the Thanksgiving holiday. Everything seemed like it was aligned, clicked, and ready to go, but it would not run.  Hubs to the rescue...who knew the lid had to be on to make it work?  

A couple of years ago I ruined a perfectly good brand new juicer by juicing a batch of fruit with the machine's direction booklet still inside.  

My family keeps a close eye on me when I operate anything with a plug.  Or a blade.  Or a motor.  

4.  How do you protect yourself against other people's negativity?

If you're perpetually negative I will keep you at arms length.  If something negative is said I'm the person who likes to point out 'the bright side'.  Because there always is one ya know!  

If you're perpetually negative and I have to interact with you on a regular basis I will try to get you to see circumstances from another angle.  You should also know on the inside I'll be sighing with impatience just a little.   

5.  Who in your family do you most resemble (physically)?  If you have children, who do people say they favor?  Do you agree?

Growing up all four of us kids were said to look like my dad.  As I've gotten older though, I most definitely favor my mom.  

Daughter1 has always been the spitting image of her dad.  I remember when she was little someone commenting on that and her questioning how she could look like her dad when he's a man and she's a girl.  As she's gotten older her face has changed some, and while she is no doubt still her father's daughter, I do see some of my family in her too.  

Daughter2 is my mini me.  People who know me and then have seen her out somewhere have come up and asked her if she's my daughter...the resemblance is strong.  

6.  January 8th is National Bubble Bath Day...will you be celebrating?

I do love a bubble bath so why not?  

7.  Some of the 'world's best winter festivals' are...Mardi Gras (New Orleans), Quebec Winter Festival (Canada), Sundance Film Festival (Park City Utah), Rio Carnivale (Brazil), Sapporo Snow Festival (Japan), Venice Carnival (Italy), and the Harbin Ice Festival (Northern China).  Of those listed (and if cost were not a factor) which would you most like to attend and why?

If you read here regularly you know how much I love Italy, but in this case I'm not choosing Carnival.  I've been to Venice and prefer to see it without the crowds.  Hubs chaperoned a French trip to Quebec during Carnival season, when Daughter1 was in grade 9. They loved it, although it was maybe the coldest they'd ever been. Quebec is on my list of cities to see, so I might say Quebec.  I will add here though, that I'd never heard of the Harbin Ice Festival in Northern China, but after seeing the pictures that one is on my list now too. 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

That last question reminded me I have some cute semi-organized photos of the hubs and Daughter1 in Quebec.  How's that for random?  

Hubs chaperoned the trip partly because there was a lot of fun stuff on the itinerary,  and partly because I'd just had surgery on my hand and was in a huge cast. 

The French club went in February '03, and the trip coincided with Carnival.  

They did a lot of sightseeing-

Saw the frozen Montmorency Falls from a great vantage point-

Went snowshoeing-

Did some super cool tubing-

They even went dog sledding-

Daughter1 has always been petite and in 2003 she didn't weigh enough to stand in back.  Consequently  she was swooshed across the snow like some sort of Russian princess.  

They also spoke French, made maple candy in the snow, and had to extend their stay by one day,  because while they were in Canada the great state of Maryland was buried under a little snow of its own.  Nothing like Canada, but it was determined the buses wouldn't be able to maneuver through town or get parked anywhere near the high school.  They ended up spending that extra day...

...in a ginormous indoor mall!  

I think hubs would have been happy to skip that extra day.  If you've chaperoned school trips you know that as much fun as they are, when it's time to go home, you are ready.  

I love this picture-

...and I don't think they look cold at all.  

Questions for the Wednesday Hodgepodge Vol 108

Some weeks the Hodgepodge seems to roll around faster than others, doesn't it? Here are this weeks questions...come back tomorrow and add your link to the party!

1. What is ONE thing or area in your home or life you hope to report is completely organized when 2013 draws to a close?  Do you  have a plan to make it happen?

2. What's the worst uniform you've ever had to wear for a job?

3. What was your last kitchen 'mishap'?  This question comes to you courtesy of Betty who blogs over at A Glimpse Into Midlife...everyone go say hi to Betty!

4. How do you protect yourself from other people's negativity?

5. Who in your family do you most resemble (physically)? If you have children, who do people say they favor? Do you agree?

6. January 8th is National Bubble Bath Day...will you be celebrating?

7.  Some of the 'world's best winter festivals' are - Mardi Gras (New Orleans), Quebec Winter Festival (Canada), Sundance Film Festival (Park City, Utah),  Rio Carnivale (Brazil), Sapporo Snow Festival (Japan), Venice Carnival (Italy) and the Harbin Ice Festival (Northern China).  Of those listed (and if cost were not a factor) which would you most like to attend and why?

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

The Party's Over

The decorations are (mostly) down, daughters have safely returned to their homes away from here, and as a bonus...I have a cold. Yep, the party is most definitely over.

Even though we're entering the second week of a new year I've had a daughter at home. Life remained in holiday mode around here until yesterday.

Yesterday reality burst my bubble.
I guess it was time.

Daughter1 had to head back to work right after Christmas, but Daughter2 is still in grad school which meant an extra week spent at home.

With her momma.
Where daughters belong, but I digress.

She is such sweet company.  We like a lot of the same things-cooking, playing games, shopping, and talking about life over long leisurely lunches.  She's 22, but still lets me hold her hand. Daughter2 has been teaching me to play the piano, and just when I begin to feel like a lost cause she's patient and makes me laugh.

I don't know if I'll ever actually 'play', but I will treasure the memory of the lessons.

We went to see Les Mis on Friday, and she didn't even make fun of me (much) for mis-reading the start time.  We sat in the quiet dark theatre by ourselves for an hour at 10 in the morning, and we gabbed the minutes away until the actual start time.

Les Mis.  We loved it.  A mesmerizing tale of love and hate and cruelty, of forgiveness and redemption. The music is haunting and beautiful.  Go see it.

We had a fun dinner out on Friday night eating our favorite Thai food, and again on Saturday night dining in a favorite Italian restaurant. Hubs and I have made a pact that its grilled chicken and salads for the rest of the month.  Well, the rest of the week anyway.

Yesterday we trekked to the airport for daughter2's flight home.  As we stood at the security checkpoint, my love-hate  relationship with United departures was confirmed. On the one hand, this spot has been the gateway to some wonderful adventures. On the other, it feels like the place where I am forever telling my girls goodbye, watching them maneuver computers and luggage and boarding passes as they re- take their place in a grown up world.

Our house is quiet most of the year.  I can do quiet.  In fact I like quiet, except when I don't.  When daughters come home, a lightness you didn't know was missing seeps into the rooms and spaces you live in every day.  They fill the quiet with something soft and warm and right.

That elusive something lingers here today...in scraps of paper left behind, bathroom sinks to be cleaned,  and linens to be washed.  Today it's back to the routine of everyday life.  I awoke this morning to a pink painted sky...

...a gentle reminder that everyday life is beautiful too.

Snow Babies

Snow fell all day here on Saturday and it was so pretty.  

Far too pretty not to get out in it, even if that means foregoing makeup and zipping a ski coat over your pajamas.  

Daughter2 resides 'down South' for much of the year so for her, operating the snow blower is still something of a novelty.  As far as she's concerned that task falls under the unlikely heading called FUN.

Pretty sure I don't look this adorable when I'm running the snow blower.
I love her white jacket.

Actually I'm a huge fan of nice ski clothes. 

These are cute, don't you think?   

Okay, so she was too young for skiing, but oh my word, a tiny tot scrunched into a snowsuit definitely makes me smile.  This is Daughter1 experiencing her first big snow.

Hey, what else is a blog for if not to post pictures you never got to post two decades ago because there was no such thing as the Internet?

Well maybe there was, but it was all very mysterious.

Where is this child's mother???

In my defense, Daughter2 has always had the most delicate skin. Rest assured as soon as she came inside she was fine.  

Here's proof some 20 years later-

I took this picture on Saturday, and as you can see her cheeks are still like porcelain. We are all envious of Daughter2's perfectly perfect skin.  

How 'bout more random snow pictures?

We used to lovingly tease Daughter1 back in the day because she was what might kindly be referred to as 'cautious'.  Nowadays she is quite the adventure lover, but it took her a few years to get there. Hmmm.... this backyard hill may be where she first discovered adrenaline.  She learned to ski on this little hill too. Hubs taught her by strapping her tiny boots into the kiddie skis then setting his own skis on either side of hers.  She loved it.

Austria, 2006

Still does.  

NJ is not the Alps but still, when you live in the northernmost corner of the state odds are pretty good you're gonna have a hill.  

And woods.  

And enough snow every winter to build your own igloo.  

We had a super long driveway in that house which we paid someone to plow, but still hubs did a lot of shoveling. We don't use a snow shovel too often these days.  There are many things to be grateful for in the 21st century, and snow blowers make our list.  

When the girls were four and six we moved to Maryland.  We lived in a small friendly cul-de-sac, and kids spilled out of every house when it snowed.  Well everyday really, but especially when it snowed.  

I wised up and put scarves on my fair skinned daughters.

My girls still speak with great joy about the blizzard of '96.  School was closed for over a week and we had a huge party in the middle of our cul de sac.  The county plow had mounded all the snow into a literal mountain at the head of the court and all the kids had fun climbing up and sledding down. We built a bonfire in the middle of the snow covered street, and the adults brought out beach chairs and barbecues, and for a few days in that long ago winter, it felt like time stood still.

Time no longer stands still.

Every now and then you get lucky though, and you catch a glimpse of the girl whose small fingers you maneuvered into mittens, whose socks you straightened so the seam was just right, and whose rosy cheeks you wrapped with a scarf.

When the world outside her window becomes a fairy tale...

...the freshly fallen snow still calls her name.