Note to Hodgepodgers

Apologies for the late notice, but there will not be a Hodgepodge this week. We’ll be back to the random next week, June 23rd. See you there! 

Hodgepodge Bounty

Welcome to another edition of the Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Or all the bloggers before you if you've got the time. Here we go-

1. Something you've seen recently that's 'cuter than a June bug'?

This-

Nobody's surprised are they? 

2. Tell us something about where you were and what you were doing in June of 1988? If you weren't born yet, June of 1998. Or if that doesn't work, June of 2008. 

On this day in June of 1988 I was spending all day every day marveling at my newborn baby daughter. 

I marvel at her still-

3. A place in your home or outdoor space where you feel 'snug as a bug in a rug'? 

I'm going to say curled up on the screened in porch... no real bugs allowed. 

4. June is National Fresh Fruits and Vegetable Month. Do you normally get your 4-5 servings each day? What's a favorite summer dish you make/serve/like to be served-ha! made with one of your favorite summer fruits. A favorite summer dish made with a favorite summer veg? How do you feel about cooking in the summer months? 

I always get my 4-5 servings of fruit and veg, but summer's bounty is my favorite. I love a homemade peach cobbler. I live in peach country and look forward to making one soon. Vegetable is a little tougher because so many are my favorite...a caprese salad made with basil from my herb garden and fresh from the vine tomatoes, a summer squash casserole, corn on the cob right off the farm...there's not a summer fruit or vegetable I don't love. 

 I don't mind cooking any time of year, but I do enjoy a break now and then. 

5. Do you have a summer reading list? If so share a title or two we can add to our own. 

My reading list is not specifically for summer, but is something I work through year round. It's never ending because every single day new books are born and added to the list. I always have a long list of 'want-to-reads' and a few near the top currently are-

The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate (our July book club choice), The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave, We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker, God is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China by Liao Yiwu, A Hundred Suns by Karin Tanabe....

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Somebody was in his happy place this past weekend-

May your summer days be filled with all the things you love! 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 423

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

1. Something you've seen recently that's 'cuter than a June bug'?

2. Tell us something about where you were and what you were doing in June of 1988? If you weren't born yet, June of 1998. Or if that doesn't work, June of 2008. 

3. A place in your home or outdoor space where you feel 'snug as a bug in a rug'? 

4. June is National Fresh Fruits and Vegetable Month. Do you normally get your 4-5 servings each day? What's a favorite summer dish you make/serve/like to be served-ha! made with one of your favorite summer fruits. A favorite summer dish made with a favorite summer veg? How do you feel about cooking in the summer months? 

5. Do you have a summer reading list? If so share a title or two we can add to our own. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Five Minutes of Slow

Joining the Five Minute Friday crew this week and here's how that goes...tell your inner critic to hush, then write for 5 minutes flat for pure unedited love of the written word. Next hop over to Kate Motaung's blog and add your link to the list. Lastly, be sure to leave a comment for the blogger linking before you, because comments keep the blog world spinning. Here we go-

Today's word prompt-slow

Time is a mystery isn't it? It's either moving too fast or too slow for our liking, and it's rare we say the pace is just right. I think learning to make peace with the pace is what leads to contentment, and while I'm always craving blank space in the calendar, I know days and seasons of busy need to happen too.

I have not seen my grandsons in person in 20 months. Baby Max was three weeks old when he last laid his tiny head on my chest and now he's a running, talking, laughing toddler boy. The mancub too, has grown at least a foot and added a hundred million words and questions to his vocabulary, and just saying that makes me want to rewind the clock and replay all the seconds I've missed thanks to geography and a global pandemic. 

Time moves in one direction only though, so we tell it now to hurry. To bring those boys and their parents back to our side of the world pronto and once they're here to please then slow back down so we can savor all the minutes we'll have with them in the flesh instead of facetime. 

Of course time never really speeds up or slows down, but rather is marked by change. The clock ticks, the calendar turns, we grow up and older, and it's neither fast nor slow but rather steady and constant and completely outside of our control. The creator of the universe is the keeper of the clock and thankfully is always right on time. 

Never too late, never too soon, never running behind, never racing to catch up. Always seeing time in all its fullness and acting accordingly. Nudging me to get busy or quietly whispering slow down. Reminding me with the speed or slowness of a moment that while I don't control the clock I do control how I spend what I've been given, and to spend it well. 

"Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom." Psalm 90:12

The Wednesday Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then go say howdy to the blogger linking before you. We're all about being good neighbors here. 

1. Besides the flag, tell us about something red, something white and something blue from your weekend. 

I made a trifle to take to a cookout at Daughter1's in-laws house. Hubs and I tell our girls we see their in-laws a lot more than they do-ha! It's so nice when you enjoy the families you add to your own via your children's choice of mate. 

Back to the trifle...I used the recipe found here and it was delish. The lemon syrup makes a difference so don't skip that step.  

2. June is here and it's National Give A Bunch of Balloons Month. Who would you give a bunch to if you could? Tell us why. 

This one's easy...Daughter1. It's her birthday month and I think every birthday needs balloons. 

3. What are three adjectives you associate with the month of June? Something you're looking forward to this month?

Soft, sweet, and summery.  June feels like the screen door opening into summer, and with a daughter's birthday and our own anniversary it's full of sweetness too. 

What am I looking forward to? Seeing daughter2 and her Mister, opening up the guest rooms to company, boat rides at sunset, and summer sunshine. I love June. 

4. Tell us about a time (besides the obvious Corona answer) when you felt stuck in second gear.

I feel a little bit that way right now. Lots of home projects happening, but it's slow going. 

5. Sum up your May in fifteen words or less.

The calendar looks less empty now and that's mostly a good thing. Mostly. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I'm a big fan of this band and her voice and this song...enjoy!

Monday Rememberings On A Tuesday

These weeks that 'start' on a Tuesday always throw me off, and I will be a day behind until at least Sunday. 

How was your weekend? Ours was lovely, leisurely, filled with friends, the flag, extended family and lots of yummy food. Saturday I prepared a trifle then had a nice long nap.

That's basically the highlights-ha! 

Hubs and I went out to breakfast which is one of my most favorite things to do on any given weekend, and we stopped in a local produce market to pick up a tub of berries. Daughter1's in-laws invited us for a cookout at their lake house and I was bringing dessert. I love to make a trifle but you need to be feeding a crowd so this was perfect. Plus the patriotic nod made it extra pretty. 

Sunsets from their deck are not too shabby either. 

The weather was gorgeous all weekend long and we spent a lot of time outdoors soaking it in. We didn't take the boat out because holiday weekends can be a little crazy on the water, especially this early in the season with lots of newbies out there. Unless we have company we like to boat on weekdays when things are quieter. We still did a lot of porch sitting and there was almost no humidity so that was wonderful. 

On Sunday afternoon we went over to the nearby university for a very special Memorial Day program. The Star Spangled Banner was sung, an alumni who'd lost his life in service to our nation was honored, a bugler played Taps, and I felt so much pride and gratitude for the men and women who have sacrificed so much for this land I love. 

On Monday we met up with some former neighbors who were in a nearby town to attend a graduation ceremony. We had lunch and caught up and it felt like old times. 

Our current next door neighbors came over for dinner Monday evening and hubs grilled brats and we had our first corn on the cob. We dined al fresco because did I mention the weather??? And please just ignore the ginormous spider bite on my arm. It feels as delightful as it looks. 

In other news, I recently purchased an ice cream freezer because I think it will be a fun thing to have when the grandboys are here. Hubs did not object. 

Somebody was ready to act as taste-tester. 

We thought we'd do a test run and I'm sure there will be a few more "test runs" before they actually arrive, but I had loads of strawberries in the frig so we opted for strawberry first.

It was really really good but I think the base needs a bit of tweaking. If you have a recipe you love for home made ice cream send it my way. 

All in all it was a low key weekend with just the right amount of activity, people, and patriotic happenings to feel pretty perfect. 

We're ever grateful to the men and women who let it be so. 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 422

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. Besides the flag, tell us about something red, something white and something blue from your weekend. 

2. June is here and it's National Give A Bunch of Balloons Month. Who would you give a bunch to if you could? Tell us why. 

3. What are three adjectives you associate with the month of June? Something you're looking forward to this month?

4. Tell us about a time (besides the obvious Corona answer) when you felt stuck in second gear.

5. Sum up your May in fifteen words or less.

6. Insert your own random thought here.