Hodgepodge Chatting

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge! So glad you've joined us today, and if you've answered the questions add your link at the end of my post. Be sure to leave a comment for your neighbor because it's summertime and the commenting is easy. Something like that...

1. When was the last time you chatted with a neighbor? About what? (sharing that last bit is optional)

I chatted with a neighbor in the grocery store this morning (Tuesday). We talked about an upcoming event in the neighborhood and our summer comings and goings. We often chat with neighbors as they walk their dogs or pull up close to our dock by boat. 

2. River, lake, ocean, or waterfall...which one are you most like and why?

I'm going with the obvious-a lake. Mostly calm and serene, sometimes deep, rarely murky.  

I took this fun little quiz online which said I was the ocean, and I'm okay with that too. According to this four question quiz I'm a deep thinker. 

3. July 13 is National Delaware Day. Ever been to Delaware? Delaware is called 'the first state' because it was the first to declare independence from the British. What's your state's nickname and does that moniker make sense to you? If you were in charge, what nickname would you give your home state?

Bethany Beach Delaware

I've been to Delaware many times. We spent several summers vacationing in Bethany Beach, a family friendly town on the Delaware shore. We've also spent time in Rehoboth Beach, Bethany's neighbor. 

Cape Henlopen State Park

Another little spot we love in the state of Delaware is Cape Henlopen State Park. We lived in Maryland for nine years and Delaware was a short car ride away so an easy trek. And just like George, I've also crossed the Delaware River. I've driven over the Delaware Memorial Bridge too many times to count in our travels north to south and vice versa. 

I live in the Palmetto State which applies more to the coastal areas than the upstate, but I'm okay with it. 

4. What dish did you contribute to the last pot luck meal you attended? Do you have a go-to recipe for pot luck suppers?

Trying to remember the last pot luck I attended? It's been a while, unless you count dinner at my sister's house where I offered to bring dessert. I made Texas sheet cake cupcakes and they were yummy. I don't really have a go-to pot luck recipe. It all depends on my mood and what I feel like cooking. 

5. What is your number one tip for a brand new parent?

Trust your instincts, and remember parenting is a thousand moments spread out over the course of a lifetime. Having a bad moment or even a bad day doesn't make you a bad parent. Rest in the knowledge that the maker of heaven and earth knows your little one by name and loves him more than you can fathom. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Daughter2 flew to WA on Monday to spend time with her sister before baby boy arrives. All of us soon to be grandmas and great-grandmas here on the East Coast are glad she's there to provide some TLC to the soon-to-be mama, and send us first hand reports on any baby bump activity. 

Yesterday they took advantage of the date and got free Slurpees. When I look at this picture I flash back to the days of summer reading programs at our local library where they'd earn a coupon for a free Slurpee by reading a pile of books. 

Wasn't that just yesterday too?

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 313

Wednesdays roll around fast, don't they? Time for another edition of the Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then jump back here tomorrow to share answers with the universe.  Here we go-

1. When was the last time you chatted with a neighbor? About what? (sharing that last bit is optional)

2. River, lake, ocean, or waterfall...which one are you most like and why?

3. July 13 is National Delaware Day. Ever been to Delaware? Delaware is called 'the first state' because it was the first to declare independence from the British. What's your state's nickname and does that moniker make sense to you? If you were in charge, what nickname would you give your home state?

4. What dish did you contribute to the last pot luck meal you attended? Do you have a go-to recipe for pot luck suppers?

5. What is your number one tip for a brand new parent?

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Hands Free Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge! If you've answered this week's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger linking before you. The button is still a work in progress, so don't worry about adding that today. We'll figure it out eventually.

And by we I mean my Daughter because we all know that sort of thing exceeds my tech capabilities.

Okay, here we go-

1. When and where were the best fireworks you've ever seen? Speaking of fireworks...do you know your hot buttons? The things people can say and do to set you off? When was the last time someone pushed one of your hot buttons?

All fireworks are the best, aren't they? Probably the best best would be those we saw our second Independence Day as husband and wife. We met friends in D.C. and the fireworks at the end of the evening were spectacular. 

As far as that other sort of firework, well of course I know my hot buttons. I don't have many, but you don't live five+ decades without knowing what makes your blood boil. I detest conflict and try to avoid situations I think might set me off because I hate feeling angry.

Last time one was pushed it was probably a minor disagreement with hubs, because we're married and I can't avoid him. teehee. 

2. Have you hosted any outdoor summer parties this year? Attended any? What makes for a great outdoor party?

Everyday's a party here. Ha! Not really, but kinda. It's summertime on the lake so we're living outside and people are always coming and going. I don't think you need a lot in terms of making an outdoor party great...nice weather of course, citronella candles to keep the bugs at bay, casual dining under the stars, and music in the air works for me. 

3. What does freedom mean to you?

Freedom to me means choice. We're so fortunate to live in a country that, while governed by law, still grants us a tremendous amount of freedom. We can speak, worship, gather, vote and more as we choose. I also feel like with every conversation we have about freedom we need another about responsibility. While we're free for the most part to make our own choices, we are not free from the consequences of those choices. 

4. July is National Cell Phone Courtesy month...what annoys you most about people's cell phone habits?

My biggest pet peeve is a cell phone at the dinner table, either at home or in a restaurant. Unless you're performing heart transplants or something similar there's nothing that can't wait until after a meal. 

5. What's your current summer anthem?

Not so much an anthem, but definitely a song I am loving and have on repeat quite a lot. It's upbeat and there's something about the picture it paints in my head that makes me think of summertime and the boy I married. Hey hubs...''...make me your country bride, you'll be my prince of tides...'  



6. Insert your own random thought here.

 In less than a month we welcome our first grandchild, a baby boy we will love and adore. We'll celebrate his birth and all the days after as our family grows and changes to welcome a new little life. 

My father-in-law passed away this week. He and my mother-in-law were married more than 60 years and their lives have been a wonderful example of persevering through all the joys and trials life brings. Together they raised four children and from Day1 embraced all the in-law children as their own.  

My father-in-law was a wonderful grandfather who thought my girls hung the moon and told them so every chance he got. This week we'll celebrate his life and remember all the days that came before as our family grieves the loss of one who loved us well and was so well- loved in return. 

 "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven." ECC 3: 1

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 312

Happy July 4th Hodgepodgers! And if you're joining in from outside the US of A, then happy Tuesday! Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then jump back here tomorrow to share answers with all your friends and neighbors.

Also, there's a little something going on with Photo Bucket right now causing my button (and thousands of other bloggers buttons, headers, content, etc ) to look a little funny. Until my IT department aka Daughter1 gets it sorted it's fine to just link to my blog without the button this week.

Here we go-

1. When and where were the best fireworks you've ever seen? Speaking of fireworks...do you know your hot buttons? The things people can say and/or do to set you off? When was the last time someone pushed one of your hot buttons?

2. Have you hosted any outdoor summer parties this year? Attended any? What makes for a great outdoor party?

3. What does freedom mean to you?

4. July is National Cell Phone Courtesy month...what annoys you most about people's cell phone habits?

5. What's your current summer anthem?

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

June Days

Let's talk about June.
Because now it's July and I haven't even begun to talk about June.

Also, my sidebar may look wonky (or it may not?) but my daughter needs to do something something technical blah blah blah and she'll get to it soon. Please carry on.

Back to June. In short (or maybe not so short)...Daughter1 had a birthday, hubs and I celebrated an anniversary, we marked Father's Day with Daughter2 and her boyfriend, I drove 1300 miles by myself, hubs and I drove lots more than that together, we had three sets of houseguests, I attended a reunion of my 'growing up church' youth group, we dog sat our favorite greyhound, we boated, swam, grilled, cornholed, reminisced, and whew! I am suddenly a teensy bit tired.

Also a little overwhelmed by all these separate events that I'd like to record on my blog, but probably won't because now it's July and July looks a lot like June in terms of all the everything all the time. I'm certain this should be about fourteen different posts, but let's lump it all into one because that's kind of how I roll here.

Or how I used to roll before I became a slacker blogger.

See this is why my posts are so long. I need half a page to tell you why I need another four pages to make a point. How 'bout I just dive in?

Rooftop anniversary celebration-

Father's Day with his baby girl-

Some of the church reunion crowd-

Wait just a second...I need to add a few words here before I move on. These people y'all. They are so dear to my heart. People I grew up with who helped me become me. For years we sat side by side in church pews and Sunday School classrooms and at Wednesday night dinners. We played side by side on weekend retreats, sang side by side in choir, attended picnics, pot lucks, lock-ins and spent most Sunday evenings together in somebody's house or backyard. We laughed and cried and said come as you are, and only occasionally got into mischief (ahem).

We knew one another's parents, sisters, brothers, dogs, fears, faults, and dreams and we loved one another well. I've moved a bunch of times in the intervening years, but every church building I set foot in I am seeking the spirit of love that permeated the church I called home when I was a kid.

I got home from the reunion weekend last Sunday evening about 7 PM and on Monday afternoon family came to town-

With them came the most spectacular weather.

My big brother and his wife spent a couple of days on the lake with us and we pretty much lived on the boat. Sunshiny skies and zero humidity made for a picture perfect holiday.

We might have also had a little too much fun trying to catch a football while taking a flying leap off the dock. I've got the videos and an empty bottle of Aleve to prove it.



At the same time, we were also dog sitting Daughter2's greyhound while she vacationed up north with her boyfriend's family.

We took her everywhere we went including the boat dock, and she was a good sport.

We managed to have our first outdoor fire while my brother was in town and it was a beauty. Hubs may have gotten a little carried away stacking wood in there-ha!

Family headed home Thursday morning and then another batch of my favorite people came to town Thursday afternoon.

College friends.

Not the same college friends who visited in May, but they do all know one another. Hubs and the boys were all fraternity brothers back in the day, but more than that these friends hold a special place in our hearts because they were such an integral part of our early married years too.

They were a couple years ahead of us in school, so already had the married life thing down pat by the time we tied the knot. As newlyweds we lived in Knoxville Tennessee, and spent every single weekend with D and D. He and hubs even worked for the same company, and we'd basically move into their house on weekends to eat her wonderful home cooking, play games, cheer for the VOLS, and fall through ponds but that's another story for another day.

We moved to Richmond Virginia towards the end of our first year of marriage and it just so happened K and M were living there too. We have so many happy memories of sailing on their Hobie cat, buying our first home with K as our realtor, and hanging out with their baby boy who has a baby of his own now but we won't talk about how every cliche you've ever heard about time flying is so very, very true.

I haven't even mentioned the week I spent with my mom, or hubs treks to Tennessee for special visits with his dad, but these moments too are tucked away in our hearts and memory.

And now here we are already the second day into a brand new month. A month with more Tennessee road trips planned, more long time friends coming to stay, a grandson closer and closer to making his grand entrance into our lives, more boat rides and BBQ's and the ordinary business of everyday life to happen too...

Thinking maybe I'll go ahead and kick off July with a nap.

Hodgepodge Holiday

Hi Hodgepodgers! I'm declaring this week summer vacation in the Hodgepodge, which means no Hodgepodge Wednesday,  June 28th. I was away all of last week and have a houseful of company all of this week so something had to give. The Hodgepodge will return Wednesday, July 5th. 

July already? Hmmm...apparently so. Have a great week and a very happy 4th of July!

Hello Summer Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge! Who's ready for summer?  If you've answered this week's questions add your link at the end of my post, and then go say hi to your neighbor on the list because that's the way we roll round here. Here we go -

1.The first day of summer lands on the Hodgepodge this week. What are ten things you'd put on your list of  quintessential summer activities? Will you try to manage all ten this summer?

Only ten? My list has at least twice that number, but I'll pick ten in an effort to be brief-ha! 

Roast marshmallows in the outdoor firepit, watch a baseball game, visit the farmer's market
stargaze, make a peach cobbler, dine al fresco (often!), watch the sunset from the back of the boat, have an ice cream cone, daydream, watch fireworks, see an outdoor concert, catch a fish, and make a summer playlist.  

I did not mention swimming because I live on a lake where swimming is a given. Cornhole, boat rides, and BBQ's are also standard summer fare here. And there will be a homemade strawberry shortcake on the menu sometime before the leaves declare it autumn. 

Also, I'm not good at keeping things brief. 

2. Do you collect seashells when you're at the beach? What do you do with them once you get them home? What's your favorite place to comb for seashells? How many of these 'world's best beaches for hunting seashells' have you visited? Which one would you most like to visit?

Calvert Cliffs State Park (Maryland), Jeffrey's Bay (South Africa), Sanibel Island (Florida), Shipwreck Beach (Lanai Hawaii), Ocracoke Island (North Carolina), Galveston Island (Texas) and The Bahamas

It depends on the beach, but if it's one known for shelling then yes we collect seashells. I have some from my favorite 'shelly' beach sitting in a tall jar in my bathroom. I've been to three spots listed, and in fact we used to like to camp near Calvert Cliffs. You can find shark's teeth on the beach there, which is kind of cool. 

My favorite place in all the world to hunt for seashells though is Marco Island Florida. 

3. At a snail's pace, shell out money, come out of your shell, go back into your shell, drop a bombshell, happy as a clam, clam up...which 'shell' phrase most recently could be applied to some event or circumstance in your life?  Explain.

None of these are an exact fit at the moment. I'm waiting on my grandson's arrival later this summer, so perhaps 'at a snail's pace' works? 

4. What summer activity do you dislike? Why?

Hmmm...what's not to like about summer? How about applying mosquito repellent? Other than that I can't think of a thing I dislike about the season. 

5. What's something you see as quickly becoming obsolete? Does that bother you?

Small town bookstores, small town florists, small town stationery shops.  Does it bother me? A little. I enjoy shopping in all these sorts of small town places. I do use Amazon for a number of things, and I get it, but I think when small businesses go under a town loses a little piece of it's heart. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I'm going to see my mom for a few days and while I'm in town I'll be attending a little reunion of 'kids' from my high school church youth group. Many of these 'kids' I haven't seen in decades, so I'm looking forward to catching up, and seeing all the ways we haven't changed. We reconnected and organized ourselves on Facebook so yay for social media. 

Hubs will be at home keeping Daughter2's pup company while Daughter2 is on holiday. Hubs likes to make Daughter2 nervous by telling her he's going to teach the dog to swim while she's at the lake. She's a greyhound and they're not known for being big water dogs, but....

https://www.facebook.com/viralthread/videos/811236792382339/

#goals