Hodgpodge Questions-Volume 300

300? Say what??? It's true! We've reached the 300th edition of the Wednesday Hodgepodge, so go us! And to celebrate we've got a brand new Hodgepodge button. You can grab the code from my sidebar to include in your post, and a big thanks to my girl for making it so pretty.

One item of business-I'm declaring next week Spring Break in the Hodgepodge, so no Wednesday Hodgepodge on March 15th. I know it's technically not quite spring, but my Daughter1 will be visiting from the west coast and I'll need all my minutes to spend in real life. Thanks for understanding! The Hodgepodge will be back in action the following week, March 22nd.

Now, here are this week's questions. Answer on your own blog then fly back here tomorrow to add your link to the party. See you there!

1. What is one area of your life where you're a perfectionist? Is that a good thing?

2. What's something you find perfectly ridiculous?

3. What's a skill you've developed by way of that old fashioned saying, 'practice makes perfect?

4. What's your idea of a perfect breakfast?

5. What's a trip, holiday, vacation, or day outing you've taken that you'd rate a perfect 10? Tell us why.

6. What quote or saying perfectly sums up your life right now? If you can't do perfect, how about one that comes close?

7. How would you spend $300 today?

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Be Our Guest

It's been a long time since I've linked with Five on Friday. So long in fact the hostesses have changed and so has the button. You know I'm all about embracing the new here, so let's go-

1. Who's excited to see the new Beauty and the Beast movie? I'm especially excited the film opens while my Daughter1 is in town so I can see it with both my girls singing along beside me. Belle has always been a favorite of mine because she loves books and knows what's on the inside matters most.

2. We had the last of our guest room window treatments installed this week and I love the way they turned out.  I had Roman shades made for this room, which work well for both sleeping (they're lined) and enjoying the beautiful view outside. The letters on the wall are made of tin with birch bark going all the way around their exterior. I bought them at a super cute shop in Waynesville North Carolina called Robin Blu.

This guest room is nearly finished, which is what I say about pretty much every room in the house, but this one really is nearly finished. I need to get lamps for the bedside tables and then it's done. I think.

3. I have two chairs currently being reupholstered and I'm hoping he finishes them up this weekend. One is a recliner we've had for a number of years and I'm excited to see the new look. I was never that crazy about the original fabric, and this will be a big change from that so I think I'll love it. That chair will be going in another guest bedroom, and once I get it back I'll post a picture. Probably.

The other chair our upholsterer has in his possession is what we refer to as 'the dog chair'. Our sweet pup claimed the most comfortable chair in the house when she was just a few weeks old, and we let her. It's a club chair and had an ottoman with it so I purchased enough fabric to cover both the chair and ottoman. That ottoman mysteriously went missing somewhere between NJ and SC which was so aggravating. My upholsterer said he could make me one, and I'm anxious to see how it all turns out. The club chair and ottoman are going in our bedroom which means that room is nearly complete. Nearly.

4. We have a very small print of the Manneken Pis we purchased in Belgium and we like to hang it in a bathroom because that's where it belongs. If you're not familiar with the famous statue in Brussels you can read about it here.

The walls in our bathroom were too big for the print so hubs had the brilliant idea to put a larger glassless frame around it and problem solved. I love it-

 
5. Finally, Daughter2 and her boyfriend came out to the lake for Sunday lunch last weekend, and we had fun playing pool afterward in the downstairs great room. Here's a peek at the far end of the room which is mostly done. The other end isn't even close. I will eventually post a picture of the whole thing, but in the meantime here's a cute picture of my girl-

 Happy weekend everyone!

Full Circle

Hi everyone! No, you're not lost...it's still me, just with a brand new look on the blog. I want to thank my creative and supremely patient Daughter1 for working her design magic here in giving me a new space to love.

We've been talking for a long while about making some changes, and she knew I needed time to get used to the idea. Your blog becomes your brand in a way, and I was pretty attached to mine. I also knew it was outdated, and no longer a reflection of this new season of life I'm in. Once she showed me her vision I was sold.

When I came up with the name for my blog some eight years ago I had no idea what I was doing. I was living in the UK and really wanted to call it From The Other Side of the Pond. That's an expression commonly used in talking about England, but the name was already taken. I fiddled with the words a bit, came up with From This Side of the Pond, and voila! a blog was born. It's funny how that title has traveled with me, and remains so true to who I am and what I write about,

At first, England was this side of the pond referred to in the title. When we relocated back to the states New Jersey took on the title, and England was once again the other side of the pond. Flash forward seven years and I'm writing waterside from a new pond. Technically a lake, but hey that first pond was an ocean so I think this counts too.

There's a certain symmetry to the title of my blog that I find very satisfying. I love the soft colors, the simpler design, the less busy look. These elements mimic what I'm seeking in real life these days, and I look forward to writing in this new old space.

Slow Down For The Hodgepodge

Welcome to March and another edition of 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 linking before you because that's how the Hodgepodge rolls. Here we go-

1. 'Slow and steady wins the race'...tell us about a time this was true in your own life.

Well, I'm going with a tried and true answer here- the house build. I'm not quite ready to say I'd do it all again, and it did take forever and a day to get here, but we absolutely positively love the end result. 

2. 'As slow as molasses'...Do you like molasses? How about maple syrup? Caramel? Butterscotch? What's your favorite of the slow moving treats mentioned here, and what's your favorite food made with that sweet treat?

Molasses is just okay, definitely not my favorite flavor. I'd say the same for maple syrup too. I like a teensy tiny bit on a waffle and I do love it drizzled over buttternut squash before roasting, but other than that I'm not too keen on maple flavoring. Of the slow moving treats mentioned, pass the caramel please. I make a delicious apple cake with a warm caramel sauce poured over all and it's wonderful.  

3. Your favorite slow song?

Just one? Impossible! How about a few of my favorites?

I Go Crazy by Paul Davis
Just My Imagination by The Temptations
The One You Love by Glenn Frey

I have loads of favorites. 

4. Your favorite thing to make in a slow cooker or crock pot?

Mississippi Pot Roast. I've linked to the recipe in case you're one of the ten people in the world who haven't tried it.

5. 'You may delay, but time will not.'~Benjamin Franklin  Are you more a hurrier or a delayer when it comes to unpleasant tasks that need doing? What are you currently either delaying or hurrying to get through this week or month?

I am a de-lay-er. I've really worked to improve in this area, but some things just beg to be delayed. Like that income tax organizer I've been moving from spot to spot on the desk. ahem. 

6. Tell us three things you encounter regularly or even just occasionally that you find to be annoyingly slow.

People who drive at or below the speed limit in the passing lane.
Airport security queues. 
My brain when it comes to new technology. 

7. March is National Craft Month. Are you crafty? Tell us about something crafty you'll try in the next thirty one days. Or something crafty you'd like to try or wish you had the skill to  make happen.

I like to think I'm crafty, and I do enjoy some kinds of crafting, but usuallyquite often my projects do not turn out as I'd envisioned. I have great vision-ha! I'm hosting a baby shower for my daughter this month and there are a few crafty things going on relating to that event. 

Does ordering other people's cute crafty stuff off of Etsy count as crafting? 

I have actually ordered several things from Etsy that fit with our shower theme, but I'm putting it all together which I think counts as crafting. 

My favorite kind of crafting is word crafting, but I think you already knew that. 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Speaking of crafty, Daughter1 is busy zhuzhing up my blog so watch for some design changes here soon. A revamped Hodgepodge button is also in the works because it's time. Past time actually, but I'm always a bit slow to come around to changing what feels familiar. I'm ready now though. My blog is very 2009 and I'm excited for a fresh look. 

Sidenote here-did you know the word zhuzh is in the Cambridge English Dictionary? For some reason I assumed it was a made up thing, but apparently it's for real. You're welcome. 

Hodgpodge Questions-Volume 299

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

1. 'Slow and steady wins the race'...tell us about a time this was true in your own life. 

2. 'As slow as molasses'...Do you like molasses? How about maple syrup? Caramel? Butterscotch? What's your favorite of the slow moving treats mentioned here, and what's your favorite food made with that sweet treat? 

3. Your favorite slow song? 

4. Your favorite thing to make in a slow cooker or crock pot? 

5. 'You may delay, but time will not.' ~Benjamin Franklin Are you more a hurrier or a delayer when it comes to unpleasant tasks that need doing? What are you currently either delaying or hurrying to get through this week or month?

6. Tell us three things you encounter regularly or even just occasionally that you find to be annoyingly slow.

7. March is National Craft Month. Are you crafty? Tell us about something crafty you'll try in the next thirty one days. Or something crafty you'd like to try or wish you had the skill to make happen. 

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

Five Minutes of Life In The Slow Lane

I'm linking with Five Minute Friday this morning, and yes I know it's Monday. The word prompt last week was SLOW, so I've got that covered.

Here's how Five Minute Friday works...you tell your inner critic to hush, then write for 5 minutes flat for pure unedited love of the written word. Next hop over to the party hosted by Kate Motaung and add your link to the list. Be sure to leave a comment for the writer who linked before you, because that's the neighborly thing to do. Here goes slow-

I've slowed way down here this month, and while I'm feeling nearly back to normal I want to keep life more slow lane, less passing lane. That's sort of new for me, because we've always been top down-sunglasses on-fast lane passing the slow Sunday drivers going way below the speed limit kind of people. We're do-ers, go-ers, entertainers, travelers.

Slow helps me see how impatient I am. 

I read fast, walk fast, drive fast, talk fast.

Slow helps me see how bossy I am. 

I'm quick to spit out words, quick to act and react.

Slow tells me there are rhythms to life and I need to embrace both the seasons of busy and the seasons of stillness that come my way. 

It's quiet here. Did you know you can hear quiet?

I've spent hours sitting on the deck watching the water, sky, and woods change. Fish jump high and land with a splash, the water rippling outward in ever widening circles. Bluejay and hawks and kingfisher soar and swoop. Squirrels are tiny trapeze artists in the branches overhead. The sun rises across the cove and paints the sky all kinds of magnificent.

If I don't slow my feet and my mouth and the rushing whirl inside my brain I miss it, this quiet beauty that was made for us not to miss.

You miss a lot of things if you're perpetually on the go. Not just the what in life, but also the why. Some of life's most needed, best loved skills and traits require a slowing down of schedules, pace, and endless chatter, opinion, and activity.

It's in the slow I find space for listening and creativity. For deep thought and focused prayer. 

For awe and gratitude.

Gone Fishin' In the Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge! So glad you played along with us today! If you've answered this week's questions add your link at the end of my post, and be sure and leave a comment for the blogger linking before you. Everybody loves comments on a Wednesday! Here we go-

1. Have you ever been fishing? Did you catch a fish? If so did you keep it or throw it back? If you haven't been fishing is that something you'd like to try?

Fish out of water, big fish in a small pond, living in a fishbowl, packed in like sardines, this is a fine kettle of fish, plenty of fish in the sea, fish or cut bait...which fishy phrase most recently applies to some area of your life?

Hubs and I fished off the dock just this week. Didn't catch anything, but I like flicking the line out and remaining hopeful.  I'd love to catch something we could cook, but it's possible I talk too much to ever be a truly successful fisherman. 

As far as the expressions go I guess I'll say cut bait. According to my idiom dictionary the expression 'fish or cut bait' means do something useful or get out of the way. In my efforts to be helpful I sometimes end up getting in the way of productivity-ha! Recent examples would be moving deck furniture and getting the fishing rods ready for use. 

2. What's something you're always fishing for in your purse, wallet, desk, or kitchen junk drawer?

Hubs likes to call my purse 'the black hole' and he's partially correct. I seem to always be fishing for my car key or my phone even though I try to drop them in the same pocket every time. For some reason they're not there when I go to retrieve them and I end up fishing. Not the nice relaxing kind of fishing we do on the dock either. Fishing for something in my purse is usually borderline frantic. 

3. Your favorite fish tale or movie?

On Golden Pond. Who didn't want a cabin on a New England lake and an old wood boat after watching this film? 

4. Are you sunrise, daylight, twilight or night? Explain why you chose your answer.

Sunrise. Because it's full of hope and optimism.  

5. What's the oldest piece of clothing you own and still wear?

I pare down my wardrobe pretty frequently, so this is a toughie. I do still have a t-shirt from our favorite crab restaurant in Maryland I sometimes wear for working out. I think it's almost fifteen years old now. 

6. We've got one more month of (officially) winter here in the Northern hemisphere. Are you feeling the need for a getaway? What's been the best and worst part of your winter so far?

Winter has been so mild here I'm not really craving a getaway right now. We're really enjoying downtime on our deck. The worst part of the season by far has been this nasty case of bronchitis. I'm feeling much better, but I still don't have my normal level of energy back yet.  

Is it bad to say the best part of my winter so far was a trip to a tropical island? 

Okay, then that's my answer. 

Antigua.  

7.  The Wednesday Hodgepodge lands on National Margarita Day...will you be celebrating? Frozen or on the rocks? Are you a Jimmy Buffett fan? If so, what's your favorite JB tune?

I think we're meeting friends for Mexican food tonite (Tuesday) so maybe we'll celebrate a day early. I used to prefer frozen with salt, but I can't drink the super cold frozen drinks without getting a headache anymore, so on the rocks it is. With salt. 

I do like Jimmy Buffett and enjoy his really upbeat songs, but my favorite is one of his early more reflective tunes called He Went to Paris. I like songwriters who are poets, and this one is a little bit of poetry. 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

We love watching the birds here, wherever we live actually, but we especially love watching the herons. There's something prehistoric about a great blue heron and we have at least two that regularly hang out on our shoreline.  

I read something called 'advice from the great blue heron' and it went like this-

wade into life
be patient
look below the surface
enjoy a good reed
go fish

I like it. Happy Wednesday everyone! 




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