Hodgepodge Happenings

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge. I wrote my answers on Monday evening as I wasn't sure we'd have power here on Tuesday, and as it turns out we don't so whoohoo! for planning ahead. We ended up with more Irma effect in our area than was predicted, but thankfully all our big trees stayed in the ground. They did drop about a million trillion leaves and branches all over the yard, but we'll deal.

Well hubs will deal because y'all my rib thing ain't no joke.

Power went out Monday evening around 8:30 PM and we have not been given an anticipated time frame for it's return. Ugh. A friend has a generator and called to tell me to bring over my frozen foods so that was a blessing. I know our problems are first world problems and I try hard to keep that at the top of my brain while standing in a cold shower.

What a hard few weeks it has been. Irma has certainly left a path of destruction in her wake and my heart is heavy with the needs of those who've lost homes, businesses, pets, and most especially their loved ones. I pray we can all continue to be good neighbors, helping one another in whatever way we're able.

I so enjoy this midweek gathering every Wednesday, and am especially glad you've stopped by today. Here are my answers to this week's questions. If you're playing along, add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger linking before you. Here we go-

1. Is a picture worth a thousand words? Elaborate.

Ha! I think you know my motto runs more along the lines of 'a thousand words are worth a picture'. Wonderful photographs inspire words, and I need some of both. 

2. Have you ever driven any part of the Pacific Coast Highway? If so what was your favorite stop? If not, is this sort of trip on your bucket list?

I have not, and yes it's on my bucket list. In fact it's on my autumn to-do list so definitely share your favorite stops. We're planning to drive a small amount of the California coast later this fall, then meander along the Oregon coast a bit too. 

I'd love to drive the southern end of the PCH, but that will have to be another time. 

3. How do the changing seasons affect you? As the seasons change do you find yourself looking more forward or backward? Which season-season transition bothers you most? Why do you think that is?

I love the changing seasons and look forward to each one. I think it would be harder for me to live where the seasons don't really change. I'm someone who enjoys looking back and ahead and do both on a regular basis. 

4. It's your birthday and you get to pick the dinner menu. What are we having? Do you ever lie about your age?

What's on the menu? The main varies, but there will definitely be cake. German chocolate is my favorite but any chocolate will pretty much  do. 

I don't lie about my age. Why???

5. What's a life lesson you've learned recently?

I'm not as young as I feel? That little mishap I had three weeks ago was a doozie, and showed me I can't just go-do-grab-reach-hop like I could ten years ago. If I'd slipped like that ten years ago I think I'd have probably caught myself. These days I need to think before I act, instead of just going for it. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

A short while back a blog friend (Shannon at The Iron Diva) asked if she could make me something for our new house. Last week I opened the door to find her very special package on my doorstep-

She sent me this most gorgeous afghan which, as you can see, I'm enjoying. If you've got time today, hop over and say hi to Shannon at The Iron Diva . 

Dear world-unprompted kindness makes planet Earth a sweeter place to lay our heads. 

Thank you so much Shannon for thinking of me,  for the beautiful blanket, and most especially for brightening my day. 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 321

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

1. Is a picture worth a thousand words? Elaborate.

2. Have you ever driven any part of the Pacific Coast Highway? If so what was your favorite stop? If not, is this sort of trip on your bucket list?

3. How do the changing seasons affect you? As the seasons change do you find yourself looking more forward or backward? Which season-season transition bothers you most? Why do you suppose that is?

4. It's your birthday and you get to pick the dinner menu. What are we having? Do you ever lie about your age?

5. What's a life lesson you've learned recently?

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

The Birthday Blog

I love having grown children. I didn't imagine I'd love it as much as I do but life is full of surprises and this is one of the nicest. Daughter2 is celebrating a birthday this weekend and she and her boyfriend are spending it at the lake. We had a celebratory dinner out last night followed by her favorite birthday treat- red velvet cupcakes.

With candles because you're never too old.

This morning me and my girl enjoyed leisurely cups of coffee on the back deck because when you have grown up children you sip coffee instead of itty bitty apple juice boxes. We talked about all manner of things because that's your reward for answering ten million questions in their toddler years. Conversation. And y'all! The conversations with your grown up children are so interesting. They are interesting and they know things and have opinions and they teach you things and make you think in ways you hadn't thought before.

This morning we covered, in no particular order-

the pros and cons of Hello Fresh, people who put their foot in their mouth and how to recover because it happens to the best of us, Thanksgiving travel maybe, aggressive hummingbirds, people who keep exotic pets and how that generally goes very wrong for them, allergies, Christmas plans, the cutest boy we know (her nephew, my grandson), how turning 27 doesn't feel like a big deal and how 57 does, our calendars, college football, funny things kindergartners say, baby showers, and more. 

As a bonus she recited for me the verses she had to memorize for her weekly Bible Study group (Isaiah 52:8-15), which I'm gonna go ahead and tell you are not verses that roll right off the tongue. Unless you're her. She might have sung it for me too because why not?

I wasn't sure I'd write a birthday post today, I mean I've been blogging for eight years so I felt like maybe there wouldn't be anything original to say, but then recently she mentioned how reading my blog on her special day is one of her favorite things about her birthday so there you go. Like I said grown up children surprise us in the happiest of ways.

And so in honor of her special day, here are 27 things about this girl that make my own heart want to sing.

She's darling
Funny
Smart

Determined
Resilient
and a teensy bit clumsy

She's her sister's best friend and a rockstar aunt

She loves Jesus
children
dogs
Netflix documentaries
and Diet Coke

She has style
self-discipline
eyes bluer than the bluest of blues
and a smile that lights up all the dark places

She is brimming with confidence
Takes charge in situations where somebody needs to take charge
and is brave in all the ways that count.

She cooks and bakes and is only slightly messy in the kitchen
She quotes Red Sox stats and the Bengals roster
can tell you anything and everything about sharks

She sings because she loves to sing

She chases her dreams
holds my hand
calls me Momma.

She gets me. This girl who came into the world late and loud, who velcro-ed her infant self to my person 24/7, had every nerve ending in my body on high alert as she ran (often literally) headlong into life as a toddler, who rolled with the changes and the challenges and whatever came her way as a teen, and who adults like a boss, is my hero.

I want to be her when I grow up.

Mastering the Hodgepodge

Welcome back 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 linking before you because comments make the blog world spin. Here we go-

1. When you think about your future what do you fear most? Hope for the most?

What I fear most would probably be some sort of serious health issue. I think once you hit your 50's you become hyper aware of your health, the value of good health, and the importance of maintaining it. You do what you can, but you certainly can't prevent/control it all.

What I hope for most is my family's health, not just their physical well-being, but their emotional and spiritual health too. That last one most of all. 

2. September is National Chicken Month. How often is chicken on the menu at your house? What's a favorite dish made with chicken? What's something you're a 'chicken' about doing or trying?

We have chicken about once a week. I have several favorites so it's hard to choose just one. I love roast chicken, barbecued chicken, and chicken salad. I'm making this chicken dish tomorrow evening and it's a good one. I use chicken breasts instead of thighs and definitely don't skip the lemony cucumber couscous linked in the recipe as a side dish. It's so good!  

What am I a chicken about doing or trying? Most anything new-ha! Oh wait...I'm a little bit chicken about riding highly strung cable cars in foreign countries. 

That tiny speck going up the side of a glacier in the French Alps is me in a highly strung cable car. 

That's me, hanging over Italy's beautiful Lago Maggiore in yet another highly strung cable car. 

Also me, dangling precariously over the tea plantations in Taipei. 

But I've done them, which only proves the point of my original answer. 

3. What are three things you don't own but wish you did?

Such a broad question...shall I go with a ridiculous answer or a practical one? Let's be practical-

a kayak, a golf cart and an apartment in London

Okay, semi-practical. The first two are items we intend to purchase this year, and that last one is on the list I keep in my head.

4. Would you rather be a jack of all trades or a master of one? Elaborate.  If you answered one, which one?

I'd love to be able to sing, but can that be taught? I mean I know it can be taught if a person has a bit of natural talent, but what about for those of us who don't? 

I might say writing, but I'm not sure it can be truly mastered. There's always room to grow, improve, and refine this particular art. 

I suppose I will choose to be a jack of all trades as I have a variety of hobbies and interests. I like to cook, bake, entertain, read, write, craft, garden, bird watch, hike and swim. I wish I knew more about computer snafus, boating, simple home improvement and basic car 'stuff' but I suppose there's still time to learn. 

5. Ketchup or mustard? On what?

I have to choose? Actually mayonnaise is my favorite condiment but of the two listed here I'll say mustard. On a hotdog or a ham sandwich. 

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

College football is back in action and we're pretty happy about that. We're big TN Vol fans here, but we root for the hometown team too. Go Tigers! 

My son-in-law is a huge fan of the hometown team so his son needed gear to wear on game days.

I know how you feel baby boy. Sometimes these games wear me out too.

Wednesday Hodgepodge-Volume 320

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

1. When you think about your future what do you fear most? Hope for the most?

2. September is National Chicken Month. How often is chicken on the menu at your house? What's a favorite dish made with chicken? What's something you're a 'chicken' about doing or trying?

3. What are three things you don't own but wish you did?

4. Would you rather be a jack of all trades or a master of one? Elaborate.  If you answered one, which one?

5. Ketchup or mustard? On what?

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

Thursday Kind Of Stuff

Remember back when people blogged? There are still loads of people blogging, but it's a quieter platform than when I started eight years ago. Social media has gotten louder (ahem!), but blogging seems to not be altogether sure where it fits these days.

My blog has always been a slice of life, and those are still my favorite blogs to read. Back in the old days (2009) bloggers used to post a lot of lists, particularly on Thursdays because Thirteen Things on a Thursday felt like a thing.

I'm making it a thing again here today because a list feels orderly and manageable and the last day of the month calls for exactly that.

Also, this list won't be all that interesting. Ha! Some things never change in the blogosphere. In no particular order, here are thirteen things on a Thursday-

1. You guys! The most adorable baby boy in the world is one whole entire month old now.

2.  I'm busy planning a trip out west to see
my grandsonsome of the coast and more of the PNW, and as a result I've spent hours on travel sites and travel blogs and Pinterest and wow am I ever easily distracted. I mean the Internet makes distraction easy, but y'all there are so many fabulous things to see in this big wide world.  How will we ever see them all?

3. I wish I could rock the bright red lipstick the way Taylor Swift rocks the bright red lipstick. My coloring (or is it my age???) doesn't seem to complement the bright red. And I know she's not country anymore and she's not fifteen anymore, but I still like Taylor. Have you seen her new video? Yowza! She has not lost her way with words.

4. I recently finished a book I loved-Elinor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. 

5. I've just started reading Beartown by an author whose writing I adore (Frederik Bachman), but am having trouble digging in. I think it's because I know something bad is about to happen, but I don't know what exactly that is or to whom it will happen and I'm mentally unprepared.

6. Hubs has a birthday this week. As per usual it kind of snuck up on me, but I accidentally rallied. We're meeting friends for dinner at a nearby restaurant and I kept adding friends to the reservation and now it feels like a bona fide party. Whoohoo!

7. Hey, remember when Throwback Thursday was a thing too?

Last year on hubs birthday I had a teensy tiny issue with my gall bladder and this year it's my ribs. But don't worry...he's used to me.

8. Here's an updated list of things I'm not allowed to use when hubs is out of the house aka unavailable to drive me to the ER-

knives
step ladders
a chair as a stepladder

I'm sure there's more.

9. We have three birthdays this month, including my own. Is it too early to mention that? Actually we have no birthdays this month and three next month, but in my head it's already September.

10. My Bible Study group is getting ready to begin again after a semi unplanned summer hiatus. We tried to hang in there through June and July, but life and all that nonsense. We're going to try a Jen Wilkin study on 1 Peter this fall, and I've heard great things about it. I am so ready.

11. I'm a little bit excited about all the blank space in my calendar this month. I mean our calendar isn't blank blank, but it is about as blank as we ever get. I am so looking forward to leisurely cups of coffee in my pjs on the porch.

12.  In other house news, hubs and I hung three more pictures on Wednesday. When it comes to home decorating slow and steady wins the race, right?

13. Still the best hair ever-

Still my favorite little man.

Hodgepodge Carolina Style

Wow Wednesdays sure do roll around fast. The whole calendar is rolling around fast if you ask me! Wednesday means it's time for another edition of the Hodgepodge. If you've 'labored' over this week's questions add your link at the end of my post, then run say hi to your neighbor. Here we go-

1. Can you believe we're rolling in to the Labor Day weekend? What's a project you'll labor over this fall?

There are several things I need to tackle this fall but high on my list are getting our old VHS tapes transferred to DVD, finding a couch for my screened in porch, and coming up with a plan for my home office. Right now I have furniture in there from my previous house and it's not really working for me. I mean it works in that you can sit on it and there's a desk, etc but it's not the look I want for the room. 

2. Tell us about the best perks you ever had in a job?

This may sound funny to some of you, but I'm going to say it would be my job as a camp counselor while in college. The pay was next to nothing but the perks were second to none. I spent all day outdoors beside the Chesapeake, swimming, sailing, canoeing, etc. It was an opportunity to have a positive impact on the young teenagers in my care, I made lifelong friends, and I grew up a lot-not just emotionally, but spiritually as well. So much. The job was demanding in every sense of the word, the pay was lousy, and the perks? They were golden. 

3. August 31st is National South Carolina Day. Have you ever been to SC? Any desire to go? According to Southern Living, these are the top ten things to do in South Carolina...

Explore Charleston, bike, golf or relax on Hilton Head Island, see the beach and the boardwalk at Myrtle Beach, visit the state museum in the capital city Columbia, observe the wildlife and natural beauty of the Ace Basin, take a walk or hop on a trolley and check out Greenville's charming main street, visit Fort Sumter where the Civil War began, stroll through Pearl Fryar's Topiary Garden in Bishopville leaving time to check out The Button Museum, also in Bishopville, see Morgan Island (also known as Monkey Island)-home to nearly 4000 Rhesus monkeys. 

Which is most appealing to you today? If you're a SC native, resident, or frequent visitor what would you add to the list?

As it happens I live in the Palmetto State and I love it here. I've seen/done most of the 'top ten', but had to look up the Ace Basin as I wasn't sure of it's exact location. It's essentially between Beaufort and Charleston so I've been in the area, but haven't explored much in the way of wildlife there. I've never been to Morgan Island but I'm gonna go ahead and tell you now that monkeys en masse creep me out so I will likely give that one a miss. 

I think a trip to Bishopville might be in order as that's a new one for me. And as a resident of the state here's a tip-don't miss Greenville. She's an absolute gem! #yeahthatGreenville

4. Beef, pork, country-style, barbecued, baby back, spare or short...your favorite kind of rib? What's a dish you enjoy that really 'sticks to your ribs'?

Okay, so it's possible my ridiculous injury got me to thinking about how I could incorporate 'ribs' into a question this week, and while the question has nothing to do with the human skeleton it fits. Also, I can't imagine breaking ribs because my bruised ribs are miserable. 

Back to the edible kind-I like all of the above, but short ribs are my favorite. Something I enjoy that sticks to my ribs? Oatmeal with dried cherries and sliced bananas are a favorite breakfast here. 

5. What's one important skill you think every person should have? Why?

I think everyone needs basic social skills, should know how to budget their money and time, and have the ability to cook something. That's three things, but I couldn't narrow it down to just one. 

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

"For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear: 

I will help you." Isaiah 41:13

Thinking of all those struggling, suffering, and also those serving the hurting in some way right now in Houston. So many amazing acts of kindness, courage, and generosity are on display and it warms the heart, doesn't it? 

There are many organizations with boots on the ground that need our financial support to help with what will be a massive long term recovery effort. Here's a link to the donation page of one I like, but there are many-Samaritan's Purse. SP receives very high marks from Charity Navigator in terms of finances, transparency, and accountability. 




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