Just One More Chapter

Continuing today with the April A-Z Blog Challenge...

Day 18-R is for Reading

It wouldn't be a true collection of 'a few of my favorite things' without mentioning reading. It's my favorite pastime, and case in point-on Thursday mornings I have a volunteer commitment, but I told myself as soon as I got home I'd get today's post written. That was over three hours ago and I'm just now getting round to blogging. 

I needed to finish a book first. 

I didn't mean to finish the book, it just kind of happened. One page leads to another, then another, and if you know you know. Hi people who love to read and never judge people who don't do the things they should be doing because they're in the middle of a good book. 

I've written several posts with reading as a theme so thought I'd do something different here today. I found a reading survey on a blog (linked here) that was written quite a few years ago, but still feels current.  I'm going to answer the questions asked there as part of today's post. Feel free to play along-

When did you start reading for pleasure? 

Hmmm...I have always read for pleasure. I can't remember a time when I didn't love books and have a stack waiting to be read. I grew up with a mom who loved to read and who read aloud to us kids far beyond the point where we could read for ourselves. That's one of the ways to raise a reader. Read. 

What popular book did you dislike? 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

What book should everybody read?

This question is hard, because books hit you differently depending on what season of life you're in. I think if you haven't read some of the 'classics' you will miss out on references in both the spoken and written word taken from those works which are now part of our shared language. Pride and Prejudice, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and Alice's Adventures In Wonderland would be some I'd recommend. 

What genre do you never read? Why? 

Comic books/graphic novels. Why? There are far too many great books out there in genres I do love. This one is not my cup of tea. 

What's your favorite book? 

Impossible to say. A few of my favorites are-Anne of Green Gables, Charlottes Web, The Pillars of the Earth, The Prince of Tides, 1000 Splendid Suns, and Where The Red Fern Grows. 

Whenever I'm asked this question my mind always goes back to childhood favorites. 

If you could have a pint with one author, dead or alive, who would it be?

Pat Conroy or C.S. Lewis. They're two of my favorites. 

Where is the best place to read?

Anywhere really, but if I get to choose then my porch on a not-too-hot summer day. 

Who's your favorite book character?

Anne (with an e). That's Anne of Green Gables in case you're not a reader. It's never too late to become one, you know! My mother first read this book to my sister and I when we were in elementary school and it has never left me. This book has provided plenty of 'scope for the imagination' all my life. If you aren't familiar with that phrase you should read the book. 

What book death hit you the hardest?

Dan and Ann in Where The Red Fern Grows. I've read this book many times and obviously know how it ends. Still cry every time. 

Which book world would you like to live in? 

The town of Mitford sounds nice. 

What are you currently reading? 

We Begin at the End by Chris Whittaker

What book has been on your TBR list the longest? Why? 

I haven't read all of the Harry Potter Books. I know!! I read the first one and feel like I should read them all, but when it's time to choose a new book I always go for something else. I've seen all the movies (and yes, I know that's not the same thing!), but I think that might be what keeps me from plowing through all the books.

So tell me something you've read lately that you've really loved. 

Quiet Down Now, It's The Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge and/or the April A-Z Blog Challenge, Day 17. If you've answered this week's HP questions add your link at the end of my post (Hodgepodge links only please), then go say howdy to your neighbor there. If you're looking for letter Q scroll on down to my random thought. Here we go-

1. What's something you wish you had spent more time doing when you were younger? Explain.

Doing more of what matters for eternity and caring less about what people think. In a completely different vein I wish I'd spent more time learning to speak French like a native. 

2. Who inspires you to be better. Tell us how. 

My daughters. I feel like they live their lives with great intention and that's how I want to live mine too. 

3. Share a money saving tip with us. 

Stop buying things? Ha. Seriously, that Amazon app. Holy moly it's dangerous. 

4. It's National Garlic Day...are you a fan? Your favorite dish that includes garlic? 

Definitely a fan, I love it. How to pick a favorite dish though? That's a tough one. Italian is the obvious answer and while it's hard to beat a perfectly toasted piece of garlic bread or a yummy Bolognese,  I think I'm going with Thai Green Curry, which might top my list of favorite foods period. 

5. Would you describe yourself as decisive or indecisive. Elaborate. 

If we're talking about life's most important matters then I'm decisive. However if we're trying to figure out what to watch on TV or where to go for dinner then I'm more indecisive. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Continuing this month to use the random thought space here on Wednesdays for my A-Z Blog Challenge entry...

Day 17-Q is for  Quiet

I've decided not to overthink this one. This is my word and I'm sticking with it, even though I've written umpteen posts on the subject. All that blog space devoted to quiet only demonstrates how much I like it. 

My house is quiet. 

Except when it's not. 

And when it's not it's because it's full of people I love and that's a good thing. We're a loud bunch. Sure we have grandsons and while I'd like to blame all the noise on them, I can't. Our extended family on both sides is fairly large and we're not all together very often, so when we do get together we talk, sometimes over one another. We laugh and carry on and play our music with the volume turned high. 

We embrace the noise. Eventually everyone goes home and our house goes back to being quiet. In this season I'm learning that in order to appreciate both, I need both.

The rhythm of family life. 

It's the fish that got away because everybody had to run see. 
It's the one reeled in by the fisherman all alone. 

It's everybody in the kitchen trying to help.
It's nobody in the kitchen and a dishwasher at rest.

It's a hands held running COWABUNGA off the dock.
It's 'just us' coffee sipped on the dock.

It's beanbags flying and BBQ smoking.
It's a nap on the couch and an omelette for two. 

It's laughter and words and hey, remember when...

It's books read and words written in a silent room.

It's loving the quiet.

It's missing the noise. 

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Time Well Wasted

Still A to Z-ing... and for some reason I have three different sized fonts in this post that do not want to be made right. I'm going to live with it. 

Day 16-P is for Porch Sittin' 

Time spent on the porch is never wasted. Isn't that how the saying goes? Porch sitting is high on my list of favorite things and it never gets old. We have a covered deck, a screened in porch, and a lower level mostly covered patio and I love them all. These are the places and spaces I nap, pray, read, have heart to heart chats, watch college football, dine, stargaze, listen to music, and relax. 

You cannot be stressed out on a porch. It's the law. 

Also, hubs and I are not the only ones who love a little porch sittin'. 

I'd post some current pictures but all of our furniture is still under wraps due to another P word this part of the country is famous for-pollen. Pollen makes my list of least favorite things and in the Upstate 'tis a season all its own. 

To make post-pollen cleanup easier we bring cushions inside, roll up the outdoor rugs, and cover the furniture, typically end of March through mid-late April. Then hubs gets out there and scrubs the decking and washes the porch screens and we pull everything back out and enjoy. We're preparing to re-stage this weekend and we're both so ready. 

While I love all the porches here, the covered deck is my favorite 'room' in the whole house and where I spend the most time. We have a fire table on our covered deck and most mornings I take my coffee and sit out there. We spend most evenings out there too because it's peaceful. 

Hubs loves to hang out on the lower level patio since that's home to our Big Green Egg. The view from that particular vantage point is not too shabby either. 

We have a TV and a fireplace on our screened porch which is just off the kitchen. Come fall you'll find us there most weekends watching college football. We have a dining table on the screened porch too, and eat breakfast-lunch-dinner out there when the weather is nice.

If there's a crowd we move to the lower patio and the bigger table. 

We've got options and they're all good. When people ask for tips on building a lake house we always say pay as much attention to the outdoor spaces as you do the indoor. We pretty much live out of doors here. 

Except during pollen season. 

Which isn't all that long and also isn't snow.

Even this guy will tell you it doesn't matter which porch you choose-

There is no wrong answer. 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 459

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's something you wish you had spent more time doing when you were younger? Explain. 

2. Who inspires you to be better. Tell us how. 

3. Share a money saving tip with us. 

4. It's National Garlic Day...are you a fan? Your favorite dish that includes garlic? 

5. Would you describe yourself as decisive or indecisive. Elaborate. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Come On Over

Good Monday morning. I hope you all had a joyous Easter Day. Ours was lovely with beautiful weather, a really great church service, and a delicious meal shared with several couples from our church who also happen to live in the neighborhood. 

Hubs came home and washed my car. I came home, put on my yoga pants, and took a quick nap. 
Hey, we all have our superpowers. 

Continuing now with this month's A-Z Blog Challenge...

Day 15-O is for Out Of Town Visitors 

I know not everyone feels the same, but we love company. When you move around a lot you end up with friends in every corner of the world, and connecting when they pass through town for a night, a weekend, or a few days mid-week is something we welcome and enjoy. 

That being said unless you're related to me, a few days is good. Ha! We have the room so physical space isn't an issue, its more the mental space for me. I like activity and then I like quiet. I love seeing friends pull down the drive and I love waving goodbye when it's time to go. 

We've had a lot of company in this house. Our many visitors have been great, turning up with wine and treats and sometimes even their own bath towels (less laundry for me) and rolls of Bounty since paper towels are something we seem to run through when company comes to town.  

One thing I've learned is I'm far more anxious about the menu, the plans, and the accommodations than my guests are. I want everything just so and they want to go for a boat ride, sit on the porch with a glass of wine, and catch up. I try to remember this and not overly stress about something that in the end isn't important. I love make ahead dishes that allow me to hang with my guests rather than spending a lot of time in the kitchen while they're here. 

People almost always offer to bring something and rather than saying no thanks, I've learned to say sure...bring boat snacks or a fruit salad or bagels for breakfast. People want to contribute and I need to let them. We love our charcuterie boards and if I'm having a big group here I tell everyone I'll do meats and crackers and they can all bring a favorite cheese or 'relish item' to add to the tray. This has worked really well. 

While we do have room for a large crew here we, more often than not, have a larger than large crew come to stay. This year we added a Murphy bed to my office, designed, built, and installed by our cabinet makers. We couldn't be happier with the end result. 

It hides a queen-sized mattress and the design makes it feel like the bed has always been a part of the room. 

I still need a chair and a small table for the sitting area, and we still need to hang some art, but this bed has been slept in more than once since the install and it's not even summer yet, so a good investment. While the room may not be 100% done, people are sleeping in there because they don't care that I haven't hung the pictures or landed on just the right piece of furniture to add between the chairs. They just want to come hang out and we want them to come hang out. 

In this age of social media we can start to feel like our homes need to be picture perfect and our guest accommodations over the top luxurious before we invite friends to stay. But once upon a time people would come to your house and kids would give up their beds and enthusiastically move to a pallet on the floor or a blanket on the couch to make room. More chairs were squeezed around an already crowded table, hamburgers were cooked on the grill, and the bathroom was shared with whoever lived in the house.

We're all a bit spoiled in this new century. We need hotel quality pillows and a private bath and soy milk- no gluten options wherever we go, and honestly that can be a little bit intimidating to a host. 

Host anyway. 

Welcome people into your home and your life and your heart. Make memories. Build relationships over cups of tea and a lazy afternoon spent floating on the water. It might not solve all the problems of this world, but it definitely solves a few.  

Lake life is meant to be low key and casual. If you need a special pillow or a certain kind of bread bring it with you. Come enjoy the spectacular view, the serenity of nature, the quirkiness of a small rural town, and most of all your people. Come and enjoy your people and the gifts of time and togetherness. 

The door is open and the kettle is on. 

Small Niceties

Saturday blogging in the A-Z Challenge means a list. Still 'a few of my favorite things', but in list form using the letter of the day. And I always start off by saying, 'in no particular order' but that first thing on the list is definitely the first thing on my list -ha!  

 Day 14-N is for Small Niceties

naps
nice neighbors
non-complainers
being a Nana
baby boys nestled into my lap
good news
Nestle's Toll house cookies right out of the oven
love notes
eggs in a bluebird nest
The National Anthem sung by the crowd
NJ bagels
the beauty found in nature
nostalgia
The Nutcracker ballet
nieces and nephews
a well written novel
our national parks 
moonlit nights
navel oranges
new shoes 

By Design

We're midway through the April A-Z Blog Challenge on this good Good Friday. Have a joyous Easter everyone!

Day 13-M is for Motherhood

Going with something obvious today. 

Obvious, but not easily captured in words. 

There are very few things in this world that completely engage you the way motherhood does. In fact I'd be hard pressed to come up with anything that even comes close. 

My theme in the A-Z Blog Challenge this year has been, 'these are a few of my favorite things', and of all my favorite things motherhood ranks at the top of the list. 

Being a mother, loving my own mother, watching my girls become mothers.

What else can fill your heart to overflowing, break it, mend it, keep you on your knees, make you laugh til you cry, stretch you, grow you, frustrate you, and have you feeling on top of the world, sometimes all in the same day? 

Motherhood is the place where I'm my harshest critic, but also my best self. 

Motherhood changes you, and it continues to change you as you adjust and embrace each new season of parenting. Like the earth itself, the seasons of motherhood are fluid, and while you know this in your head, you still won't always succeed in seeing your grown adult children as the grown adult people they've become. 

Sometimes they're still the little girls whose hair you brushed and whose tears you dried and that's okay too. It's more than okay really. 

Mothers need grace too. 

My mom is in her ninth decade, still listening to my problems, still asking me if I got enough sleep, still telling me how to drive. She can't help it. We can't help it. We're moms from the moment our first born draws a breath to the day we take our last.

 Motherhood is the hardest best thing I've ever done. It's the gift I keep opening, that keeps on surprising...

...and it's my favorite.