Mother May I Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge. I've got a houseful here pretty much all month long, but I squeezed in the HP this week because priorities people. If you've answered the questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger linking before you. Wishing all the Mamas reading here today a very happy Mother's Day!

1. What are your ingredients for a perfect Saturday?

Spectacular weather. After that I'm good with leisurely coffee and lake time. If my children and grandson are in the house that will be the cherry on top. 

2. What skill do you wish more people took the time to learn?

Which lane is the slow lane and which lane is the passing lane. Also why it's important not to confuse the two. 

3. What's something you ate as a child you can't stand now as an adult?

There was a short period of time where my sister and I put ketchup on our rice. Obviously I don't do that anymore so I'm not sure it qualifies as something I can't stand, but it definitely does not appeal.  

4. Something parenting has taught you? If you're not a parent tell us one important lesson you learned from your own parents.

Parenting has taught me so much about how God loves. It's given me a glimpse into how God feels about me, his child. Honestly I'm overwhelmed by it sometimes. Motherhood lets us see in part, understand in part, the depth and breadth of the love God has for His children. It's a love that is forgiving, sacrificial, and not dependent on our response to it. 

5. Share a favorite quote or saying about mothers or motherhood.

'I have so much of you in my heart.' 

John Keats

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

My grandson is here visiting and I could post one or ten pictures of him in this space, but instead will save those for a post of their own. Another post of their own. ahem. See Tuesday. 

How about a true random? We added stone to the columns on the back patio at the end of last week and we're really pleased with the end result. Technically 'we' didn't add the stone, but rather the stone people worked their magic and voila-

Also, my peony bloomed and there are few things in a garden that make me happier than a peony in bloom. 

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Busy Busy Busy

If you're here for this week's Hodgepodge questions, scroll on down to the previous post. 

Saturday hubs and I drove to Atlanta to pick up Daughter1 and the mancub for a week at the lake. I wasn't happy about it at all-ha!

This was Daughter1's first time flying solo with him and he was an absolute champ. Who can resist this face y'all??? Our son-in-law will be joining Daughter1 at the lake next weekend, then they're taking a little holiday, so lots of gear. LOTS! My girl who is no bigger than a minute dragged a suitcase behind her the size of herself, pushed a stroller in front of her zipped up in its carry case with a car seat perched on top and a diaper bag and tote stashed underneath, and she wore her baby. Whew! 

His aunt and soon-to-be uncle were there to greet him when we got to the house and then Daughter1's in-laws came for dinner. They'll move over to their house later in the week because we all need a turn waking up to his smiling face in our own house. The evening's entertainment consisted of everyone sitting around watching the mancub. We're grandparents. It's what we do. And you'd never know he'd gotten out of bed in the middle of the night, flown five hours cross country, then made a two hour car ride to the lake.

This little guy was the center of attention all weekend long and he just goes with the flow y'all. So sweet and easy and good tempered all the time.

And he is busy! I mean BUSY! Busy busy busy. He sleeps hard all night long, naps twice a day like it's his job, eats when it's time to eat, and the rest of the time? He is on.the.move. If he's not eating or sleeping he is crawling, climbing, pulling up on everything and everybody, and basically charming all who cross his path with those big blue eyes and sweet sweet smile.

Sunday morning started with a stroll to the dock in their pjs because Daughter1 could not get over the warm air and big yellow ball in the sky. What an absolutely beautiful day it was! Her in-laws came for breakfast and baby snuggles then had an event to get to so they left and the next wave rolled in around 2. My sister and brother-in-law drove over from a nearby town bringing my mother with them.

She's in the Palmetto State for a little visit and of course wanted to see her great grandson. And I think me too, but mostly her great grandson. It's okay. We get it. 

My niece and her boyfriend came too, because a baby boy just cannot have too many people adore him.

Also, we can talk weddings and be entertained by the mister all at the same time. Just sayin'.

I think his new uncle is gonna be a favorite. Actually he's pretty crazy about all the aunts and uncles he's met so far. Still a few more to introduce him too, but he definitely loved singing 'trot little horsey go to town...' with his great aunt P.

He's already mastered the game of cornhole.

It was such a fun day, filled with spectacular weather, food, and company. So what was the best part of this picture perfect day for me?

This-

Always this.

 'Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina...

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 351

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. What are your ingredients for a perfect Saturday?

2. What skill do you wish more people took the time to learn?

3. What's something you ate as a child you can't stand now as an adult?

4. Something parenting has taught you? If you're not a parent tell us one important lesson you learned from your own parents.

5. Share a favorite quote or saying about mothers or motherhood.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

It's Not So Elementary

My daughter2 has been teaching school for over five years now. She started her career as a third grade teacher but transferred to kindergarten last year. I've visited every one of her classrooms at least once to help with some sort of special project and to read a book to her students. Shhh! Don't tell, but my real reason for going is to see my girl in her natural habitat. When it comes to teaching she is a natural.

Until yesterday hubs never had the opportunity to see her run her classroom like a boss. Yesterday he spent a couple of hours in her classroom, ate lunch in the cafeteria, and basically tried his best to keep up with the crazy pace and activity level of a room full of five year olds.

Here's his takeaway-

1. His daughter is amazing.

2. Seriously, if he had to do what she does on a daily basis he said he'd likely pull the covers over his head and never come out. It's a steady stream of walking, talking, not sitting, re-directing, suggesting, guiding, consoling, herding, answering, having a Plan B, smiling, encouraging, helping and whew! 

Teaching is not for the faint of heart!!

3. Kindergartners are busy busy busy. There are many moving parts and they ask a lot of questions.

4. A whole lot of questions. Not always about the topic at hand.

5.  Besides a room full of students there were chickens.

6. Baby chickens. Daughter2 had seen a program available to teachers through I think the Cooperative Extension where you could pick up eggs and everything you'd need to hatch chickens in your room including feed, brood box, water bottles, incubator, and instructions. They will also take the new baby chicks back unless someone takes them home.

No she is not taking them home, but don't think for a minute she hasn't considered it-ha!

7. Anyway, one evening after school she trekked down to the Extension Office and picked up all the necessary materials and three weeks later she and her room full of kindergartners watched six baby chicks enter the world right before their eyes. One is still struggling to make his way out so here's hoping today was the day. Her students have recently completed a unit on animals and there's nothing like hatching your own chicks to make it all come to life.

8. Hubs brought her chick-fil-a for lunch. Circle of life?

9. He read a book to the class too. Horton Hatches The Egg because great teachers know how to work a theme.

10. After he read the book Daughter2 told her students they could ask him questions. She told them he knows a lot about a lot of things, for instance snakes. He knows a lot about snakes.

11. He was then asked approximately 546 questions about snakes.

12. This profession is under appreciated on so many levels.

13. And his daughter is completely amazing.

The Hodgepodge of Happiness

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge, our first in the month of May. We're finally enjoying some gorgeous weather here in the southland and I hope spring is springing where you are too. 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 because that's how we roll here. Let's go-

1. April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes. Is there a flower you associate with a particular memory? Explain.

When I see a bed of iris I always think of my mama and her green thumb. How she used to grow the most beautiful iris in a big bed at the corner of our property. I wish I had a picture. 

2. Last time you helped someone? Tell us how.

We bought new furniture for our screened in porch and some of it was delivered today (Tuesday). I helped hubs carry the old furniture down to the lower patio. Normally my helping someone doesn't involve manual labor, because I'm not all that helpful in the heavy lifting department. The old furniture was light so I managed. 

Mostly. 

Stairs are tricky y'all. 

3. It's National Salsa Month (the food, not the dance) so tell us, do you like salsa? Hot, medium, or mild? Homemade, store bought, or from your favorite restaurant only?

Yes I do like salsa, medium is my favorite. I like homemade, store bought, or salsa served beside a warm bowl of chips in a Mexican restaurant. I also like salsa on scrambled eggs. If you haven't tried it you should. Yum! 

4. When I was twelve years old...

I was in the seventh grade and I'm gonna be honest and say not my favorite year, school wise anyway. It was my first year in Jr. High which back then was grades 7 and 8 in one building. I rode a bus to school for the first time and mostly I remember it was hard trying to figure out where I belonged. I had super skinny legs and long hair and I did enjoy the fashion. It was the early 70's after all. I had friends and a family who loved me so it wasn't all bad. Just a year of growing and figuring out who I was and who I wanted to be. 

5. It's the first of May so let's run with it-first things first, don't know the first thing about it, first dibs on something, first impression, first rate, first cousin, first string, first come first served, at first light-which phrase can best be applied to something in your life currently or even recently?

Probably 'first things first' as we have a number of things we want to do to the house, and we're trying to prioritize them in order of importance. FYI-most important isn't always equal to most fun. Just sayin'. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

We've had a bluebird house ever since we moved in here. Hubs set it up one day and bluebirds declared it home a couple of days later.  (hubs took all these pics)

He whistles on his way down the walkway to feed them in the morning and mom and dad fly around his head and sit on the tree branch above the birdhouse and are not skittish at all. 

There are four noisy babies in the house right now and I hope I'm sitting outside when they take their first flight. I hope the hawk is not. 

Mom and Dad have been a bit bold of late and have started buzzing the covered deck and sitting on the porch railing. 

We really need them to stay on their own property so to speak but we're cutting them a little slack since they're new parents. We definitely don't want them making our porch their vacation home. 

Even if they are beautiful little creatures. 

Opposites Attract

If you're looking for this week's Hodgepodge questions you'll find them one post back. 

We spent the weekend with college friends in Georgia. It was the first weekend in a long long while where the sun shone all day every day and it was De-lightful. Yes with a capital D because everything's better with sunshine, isn't it?

The guys were participating in a clay pigeon shooting competition at a beautiful venue in the Georgia countryside and the plan was we girls would while away the hours while they competed, then meet up with them late afternoon.

So we whiled.

We walked and talked and shopped and talked and tried on clothes and bought this and that and then we talked some more as we sat with a glass of rose on a downtown rooftop. It was perfection.

What did we talk about?

...the wedding (you know which one, right?), how our May calendars are all crazy jam packed and we're not sure how that happened, summer travel, grandchildren, why we're not letting our hair go gray, whether we'll all stay put in our houses or eventually move to a more low maintenance kind of setting, husbands who retire and husbands who don't, complicated relationships, various and sundry health and beauty concerns, exercise, DNRs and who's in charge of our healthcare directives, wills, various bits of advice our financial planners have given us, boating, children, Disney World, Mother's Day, Oregon, books, shoes, food and...

Later that evening I asked hubs if he enjoyed his day at the shoot.

Yes! he said. He loved it! he said.

Well what did you guys talk about all day?

He thought for a minute then said, 'Hmmm....I guess nothing really.'

I could say men are from Mars, but pretty sure someone beat me to it-ha!
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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 350

We've somehow hit volume 350 here today. That feels like something doesn't it? Raise your hand if you've been in the HP since the early days.

We're also flipping the calendar over to May so whoohoo! Our May calendar is busting at the seams, but I'll do my best to keep the Hodgepodge going this month. I may need to insert a break somewhere, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Today though we've got questions. Answer on your own blog then hop back here tomorrow to share answers with the world wide webbers. Here we go-

1. April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes. Is there a flower you associate with a particular memory? Explain.

2. Last time you helped someone? Tell us how.

3. It's National Salsa Month (the food, not the dance) so tell us, do you like salsa? Hot, medium, or mild? Homemade, store bought, or from your favorite restaurant only?

4. When I was twelve years old...

5. It's the first of May so let's run with it-first things first, don't know the first thing about it, first dibs on something, first impression, first rate, first cousin, first string, first come first served, at first light-which phrase can best be applied to something in your life currently or even recently?

6. Insert your own random thought here.