To Good Friends And Great Adventures

 Been a fun kind of busy in real life so it's a two for one today/yesterday..

Day 24-X is for X Marks the Spot

If you need me I'll be right here....

Spending the weekend with friends from yesteryear...

Day 25-Y is for Friends from Yesteryear

Friends we made in England and have carried in our hearts and our memory as the years roll by, are visiting for the weekend. 

Definitely one of my favorite things. 

We met more than fifteen years ago in a little village across the pond. We drove on the left as we sat on the right, figured out how many dollars we spent in pounds, measured life in kilometers and moments, walked wellie clad through the English countryside, grew teenagers and ourselves in a hundred different ways, and traveled many a European city together. 

We've sipped champagne in France, eaten too much apple strudel in Salzburg, shopped our way through most of Germany, reveled in the beauty that is Strasbourg, and soaked up every ounce of everything we could in our favorite city in the world-London. 

And now here we are, many years and miles and states later, siezing the day and loving where we live.  This ain't London....

But it's still pretty great. 

No Waffling In the Wednesday Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's edition of the Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you're visiting from the A-Z Blog Challenge you'll find today's letter in question 6 so scroll on down.  

If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post (Hodgepodge links only please), then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Here we go-

1. What does the word values mean to you personally? Where did your values come from? What are some of the values that have guided you throughout your life? 

Values are the things that are most important to me. They're what guide my behavior and are the beliefs I hold most dear. My values are what motivate me in my decision making and in my interactions with others.

My values absolutely came to me from my parents and they parallel what the Bible tells us about how we should live. Some of the values that have guided me throughout my life would be faith, kindness, compassion, integrity, patience, respect and selflessness. 

2. Your favorite vanilla flavored something? 

I love pretty much all things vanilla so choosing just one is hard. I'm going with my favorite dessert-creme brulee.

3. What's something you've seen/done recently that you found to be very difficult, very  confusing, very helpful, very interesting, or very special. Elaborate. 

My daughter2 has an ultrasound at most of her appointments and she always texts me a picture afterwards. The technology is absolutely amazing and is why I like to support crisis pregnancy centers that offer moms-to-be ultrasounds. How can you look at these photos and deny what you're seeing is a baby? 

I love getting the picture, seeing the shape of his tiny nose and his little hand held up against his cheek. Very special indeed. 

4. Something you own and love that is violet in color? 

This is not a color found in abundance in either my home or my wardrobe. I do love the color in nature though, particularly pansies, clematis, wisteria, and iris and I will for sure have some pansies in a patio pot. I have some iris about to bloom right now, but I'm not sure of their color. A neighbor gave me bulbs from her yard last year and miraculously they've popped up and are ready to burst. 

5. Do you have vacation plans on the calendar this summer? Tell us more. 

Is sitting and watching a new born baby for hours on end what you'd call a vacation? Because that's my summer plan and I cannot wait. 

Besides a new baby in the family we have three weddings this summer, all of which involve at least one overnight somewhere. The last of the weddings is actually end of September but it's in California and hubs and I plan to add some vacation days to that destination as long as we're going all that way. 

I'm really looking forward to spending a few days at the beach with my daughter1 and her family in August. My son-in-law has a conference to attend in a resort location so they've extended over two weekends and will have us with them the first half and her in-laws the second half. 

Finally, when you live on a lake every day feels vacation-like. We will boat, float, run off the dock with grandsons in tow, entertain friends, be entertained by friends, kayak, swim, sit under the stars, and sip an orange crush or two. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

The A-Z Blog Challenge is winding down and as per usual I'm limping towards the finish line. But! I'm still at it, I've only missed one day which, not gonna lie, bothers me a little, so maybe I'll go back and add in, but only maybe. 

My theme was light, but it's been a day brightener thinking about some of my favorite things and trying to find one that fits each day's letter. Twenty-two letters in and I've not devoted a single post to anything edible so let's go with the first thing that popped into my head today-

Day 23-W is for Waffle

I'm not a big pancake eater but I do love a perfectly cooked waffle with just the right amount of butter and not too much syrup. If there are blueberries in the batter so much the better. I don't make them often because they're calorie laden, so when we do have waffles it feels like a treat. 

I enjoy making them too. There's something satisfying about closing the lid on liquid batter and lifting it four and a half minutes later to a golden brown waffle. 

When the grandboys visit I like to let them 'help'. Waffles are probably their favorite breakfast food and everything tastes better when you make it yourself. They like chocolate chips in theirs and Nana aims to please. 

They don't like the noise of the mixer.

Cooking with little ones beside me was something I imagined would be part of grandparenting. 

As I was writing a somewhat meaningless post about a breakfast food it occurred to me the word waffle has more than one meaning. I went back and forth, or you might say I waffled, about which way to go but in the end decided breakfast food. 

Because what is cuter than tiny chefs in the kitchen? 

Definitely one of my favorite things.

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Hodgepodge Questions and the Letter V

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. I'm also going to count this post as my entry in today's April A to Z Blog Challenge because I am so busy right now. I'm giving myself a little break here with the letter V. 

Firstly, V is not an easy letter and second, as I was writing this week's Hodgepodge questions it occurred to me I've written volumes. VOLUMES. 460 volumes of Hodgepodge questions to be exact and that's a lot. That's 2300 questions people, and this weekly linkup counts as one of my favorite things so there you have it-

Day 22-V is for Volume

If you're a regular here, you know the drill. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to share answers with all your friends and neighbors. See you there-

1. What does the word values mean to you personally? Where did your values come from? What are some of the values that have guided you throughout your life? 

2. Your favorite vanilla flavored something? 

3. What's something you've seen/done recently that you found to be very difficult, very confusing, very helpful, very interesting, or very special. Elaborate. 

4. Something you own and love that is violet in color? 

5. Do you have vacation plans on the calendar this summer? Tell us more. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

All Over The Map

I started this morning with a long to-do list, intent on running through it like a boss. But here it is, almost 9 o'clock, and I've had to resign myself to the fact that tomorrow's list might look a little bit like today's. We're in the last week of the April A-Z Blog Challenge and I don't want to miss the end. Question for you-why are the last six letters of the alphabet such oddballs?

Another question for you-will this be the year we finally master the selfie? 

Not so far. 

We had a nice weekend with gorgeous weather, and since the pollen is mostly down we took our boat out for the first ride of the season. We discovered a plug needs replacing so hopefully that can happen tomorrow. 

It's always something when you own a boat. Or a house. Or a car, but I digress. 

Day 21-U is for Unexplored 

I like to go places I've never been. That might be a country, a city, or a new-to-us path through the woods. I get excited about a car trip where I know we'll be on roads we've never traveled, and unless we have a set arrival time we are all about stopping at whatever interesting, quirky, out-of-the-way spot catches our eye. We especially love to see a mom and pop restaurant with lots of cars in the lot that tells us this is where the locals eat. fyi-they almost always have pie. 

I know people who vacation in the same spot every single year. I understand the appeal, but that could never be me. How will I see the world if I always stick to the same four corners? 

My list of unexplored places I still need to explore is long, but near the top are-

The Grand Tetons

Banff-Lake Louise

Ireland

What's on your list? 

Any plans to explore the unexplored? 

Tiny Blessings

It's time for my weekly (in April) gratitude list. Little things I love that begin with the letter of the day. Only problem is I made a list using this same letter back in 2019 (linked here) and I don't like to repeat myself. So here's to a brand new list and lots more tiny treasures-

Day 20-T is for Tiny Treasures

freshly polished toes
salt water taffy
tenderness
happy tears
foreign travel
help with technology
a tidy house
toddlers who call me Nana
tranquility
time to dream
thoughtful gestures
Twizzlers
twilight
fresh thyme from the garden
a family Thanksgiving
trouble averted 
treasured memories
true love
tunes on the porch
East Tennessee 

Sunshine On My Shoulders Makes Me Happy

One more week of A to Z-ing...

The first word that came to mind when I thought about today's letter was sisters. I adore mine and am so grateful for them. And I love that my own girls feel the very same way about each other. I've written many a post centered around the word sister, so while they're definitely one of my favorite things I'm going with the second word that popped into my head today-

 Day 19-S is for Sunlight

While I can fully embrace the coziness of a rainy day, my favorite days are full of sunshine and light. And my absolute favorite sunlight is the kind that shimmers and dances across the water. 

Coming in a very close second is that splash of light that slips through the bright green leaves of a forest in springtime. 

Hubs and I hiked through a forest today, to one of our favorite local spots. It's an easy trail that meanders through the woods and across a sometimes gently flowing-sometimes rushing stream, then lands you beside a beautiful waterfall. 

Light is good for both body and soul. We all know we need a daily dose of Vitamin D to maintain our physical health, but sunlight does more than that. It gives me a peaceful hopeful feeling about life in general. 

Exposure to sunlight releases serotonin, a mood booster that makes us feel both calm and focused. 

Be it water or woods if I'm feeling out of sorts, down in the dumps, or sick about the state of the world, sunlight is the cure. 

May your weekend be filled with sunlight that dances.

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.