A ‘Restful’ Kind Of Hodgepodge…

I’ve entitled today’s post “A Restful Kind of Hodgepodge” because rest is what I need most, right now!  Ed and I have just completed two very busy weeks, and this blogger is worn out– but in a good sort of way.  As I write this,  I’ve just returned from a six hour ordeal of having my yearly exam at the gynecologist’s office (3 hours of travel, 3 hours of wait time), but, for now, I’ll press on a while longer, with today’s Hodgepodge.  I’ve missed the last two weeks, and hate to let another week pass.  As always, thanks to our gracious hostess, Joyce, for everything that she does!

Here are today’s questions:

1. Three things on your spring bucket list? If you don’t have an actual list that’s fine, pretend you do.

#1-Plant another garden (done), #2- go on a bus tour to Kentucky (done), #3- have yearly exam done at gynecologist (done)

2. Where do you find rest?  Are you speaking literally? If so, then  in my bed, at night, or stretched out on the couch, during the day.

What restores your soul? Reading my Bible, meeting with like-minded believers, singing hymns, listening to a good preacher, and, sometimes, just sitting under those oak trees on St. Simon’s Island!

When was the last time you did whatever it was you answered here?    Last week, our church had revival, on Wednesday through Sunday, so I did lots of everything listed above, with the exception of visiting St. Simon’s Island.  It was a great week, and I’m feeling revived and restored!

3. April is National Celery Month. Who knew?  Not me!

Do you like celery?  Not very much.

What’s your favorite dish made with celery? Cornbread stuffing, or what we folks in “Gooseneck” like to call “dressing”.

On a veggie and dip platter which would you reach for first-carrot sticks, celery sticks, cucumbers or cherry tomatoes? 

I’d probably go for the carrot sticks first, especially if there’s dip.

4. I read here eight things to do before 8 am to make your day less hectic-Start one load of laundry, drink water, empty the dishwasher, read your Bible, know what you’re having for dinner, get dressed, brain dump (two lists-one what you’re thankful for and one what’s weighing on your mind), and after the brain dump make your to-list for the day

How many of these are you currently doing?  Usually, the only thing on the list that I do before 8 a.m. is drink a glass of water (while taking my morning medication).  I do my “chicken chores” and take a walk from 7:30 until 8.  Afterward,  I read my Bible,  then read/write in my prayer journal,  eat breakfast, get dressed, then start a load of laundry–usually in that order. (And for those who may be wondering– we live in the country, so I often do my chores and take a walk wearing my pajamas and a coat.)

Which one do you think would help the most if you added it to your early morning routine?  I’d probably look a little better if I got dressed first!

5. Describe the view from your window.

From my chair, I can see Ed’s little red tractor (parked under the little shelter he built).  Next to that, I see the large Sycamore tree that Ed planted for me, years ago, (against his wishes), and the little Mimosa tree he dug up from some nearby woods, and planted for me on our last (45th) anniversary (also against his wishes).  Both trees are thriving.  I’m thinking my Ed is a mighty good man!

Random:

The day after Easter, Ed and I left on our four-day trip to Kentucky to visit The Ark Encounter and The Creation Museum.  We had a wonderful time, and saw many interesting places!

The replica of the ark is very large and very interesting.  I loved The Creation Museum, as well.  I highly recommend visiting both places, if you’re ever in Kentucky.  It will be even more fun if you’ll travel with a group of church folks on a tour bus, like we did!  Fun times!

in front of the replica of Noah’s Ark

in front of The Creation Museum

In case you can’t tell by the looks of my hair, it was windy in Kentucky!  It turned cold, overnight, and we even saw some snow flurries while at The Creation Museum!  This was quite a change from the 80 degree temperatures we left behind in Georgia!

I’m planning to blog more about our trip as soon as I rest up a bit more.  It’s been non-stop, here, since before Easter!  Calgon, take me away…

‘Springing’ Into Another Hodgepodge…

 

Welcome spring, and welcome Wednesday Hodgepodge!  I can’t believe it’s already Wednesday again, and I can’t believe it’s spring!  As always, thank you to our hostess, Joyce, for hosting this fun meme for us.  Here are today’s questions:

1. On this first official day of spring tell us something (besides the weather) you’re looking forward to in this season of the year.

Spring is my favorite time of the year, so I’m looking forward to several things (besides the weather).  First of all, I’m looking forward to our annual egg coloring/egg hunting Saturday with our grandchildren.  Then, of course, there’s the Easter Sunday services followed by the delicious meal.  After Easter, I’m looking forward to hopping on a chartered bus and heading to Kentucky [along with Ed and many of our fellow church members] to see the replica of Noah’s Ark and the Creation Museum.  Last, but certainly least, I’m looking forward to spending some time under my favorite oak tree at St. Simon’s Island, again.

2. When it comes to spring cleaning would you rather wash windows or wash baseboards?  I’d rather wash baseboards.

Clean out closets or clean out the garage?  I’d rather clean out closets.

Dust ceiling fans or dust bookcases?  I’d rather dust bookcases.

Wipe down the patio furniture outside or wipe down the light fixtures inside?  Neither one, but if I have to choose one I’ll wipe down patio furniture.

Any of these tasks recently completed?  No, but I’m working on a couple of them.

3. Your favorite thing to make/eat that calls for cream cheese?  Chocolate Delight

Sour cream?  Pound cake

Whipped cream?  Strawberry Pie

4. I read here a list of commonly mispronounced words. What is a word that gives you trouble when it comes to pronunciation? I’ve been guilty of adding an extra “i” at the ending of mischievous.  However, my youngest son might tell you I misprounce the word “Pontiac”.

5. What’s a song you love with the word ‘rain’ in the title or lyrics?  I’m still partial to “Rainy Night in Georgia” by Brook Benton.  Hearing that song can take me right back to Ed’s days of army basic training, and the special times we spent together.  Ah, young love…

Random:

The sun was a little bright in this picture, but, as you can see, the azaleas are in full bloom!  Happy Spring!

Spring 2018

Tales From A Simple Woman’s Daybook…

For Today…

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Looking out my window… 

I can see our azaleas still blooming.  They’re not quite as pretty as they were before the recent rain, but still worth noting.  I also see tiny leaves beginning to sprout on the Sycamore tree, even though it was bare, last week. Most of our Maple trees are sprouting leaves, as well. Spring is just around the corner, although the current temperatures don’t feel like it.

I am thinking…

last weekend’s time change is going to kill me!  Every time the time changes, it takes me at least a couple of weeks to adjust to the new schedule.

I am thankful…

that Ed and I made the decision to move back to his family’s farm, all those years ago.  This Friday, on St. Patrick’s Day, we’ll celebrate the 40th anniversary of moving from the city.  It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.

One of my favorite things…

is taking a long hot bath, at the end of the day.  I often enjoy reading while I soak.

I am [still] creating…

 some crocheted covers for some throw pillows.  It’s a slow process, because I don’t work on them regularly.

I am wearing…

a red/green plaid nightgown and a red robe, my Christmas attire.

I am reading…

Dolly Pardon’s autobiography which is entitled, Dolly, My Life and Other Unfinished Business.  This book has made me laugh out loud on several occasions.  It’s that funny!

I am watching…

a couple of new action shows on television.  The first one is called The Blacklist: Redemption, and the other is called Taken.  Both have a little more violence than I prefer, but they’re good action shows.

I am listening to…

a couple of new instrumental worship cd’s that I bought from Hobby Lobby. One is entitled Church in the Wildwood, and the other is entitled Standing on the Promises.  It’s good, relaxing music.

I am hoping…

our sick hen will recover and be able to rejoin the flock, soon.  I hate keeping her in isolation.  She’s currently receiving medication in her drinking water.  Chickens are social creatures, and don’t enjoy being alone.  I cheated a bit, last night, and let her sleep with the other hens.  It was too cold to be sleeping alone (31 degrees).

I am learning…

things aren’t always as they seem.

In my kitchen…

Ed and I made strawberry jam for the first time, last week.  We started out with seventeen pounds of strawberries, freshly picked by Ed. Our neighbor has a strawberry field, which made access to the berries easy.

they tasted as good as they look

When all was said and done, we ended up with 26 pints of delicious strawberry jam, and it’s delicious.

our last two batches of jam

In my garden…

onions, potatoes, radishes, and carrots are growing.  We had to replant our garden peas and they haven’t sprouted, yet.  We have some tomato, lettuce, and cabbage seedlings growing in cups on our front porch, but I’ve had to temporarily bring them inside due to cooler temperatures.  I hope these cooler temperatures don’t hurt our potatoes in the garden.

Shared Quote…

“A little more kindness, a little less hurry.  A little more laughter, a little less worry.”  (isn’t that the truth?!)

A moment from my day…

Ed and I, posing beside the azaleas, last week

 

Closing Notes…

Thank goodness, this week has been less busy than last week!  Last week, Ed and I both had dentist appointments (on different days), had an appointment with our insurance agent, plus we made two trips, out-of-town, for shopping purposes.  I guess you could say, we’ve gotten spoiled to the slower pace of ‘retirement living’, and we like it:)

Thanks to Peggy Hostetler for hosting The Simple Woman’s Daybook.

Springing Into Another Hodgepodge…

Happy Wednesday and Happy Hodgepodge, everybody!  The stars have aligned for me, today, and I’m able to see the ‘linky’, so I can ‘officially’ join in 🙂  As always, thank you to our kind and gracious hostess, Joyce, for keeping the Hodgepodge going.  Here are my answers to this week’s questions:

1. Has spring sprung in your little corner of the world? Other than the calendar how would I know? What’s your favorite thing about spring?

Yes, spring has definitely arrived in our little corner of the world!  The grass is green, has already been mowed once, and needs to be mowed again.  Our azaleas have been blooming for so long, I’m wondering if any blooms will be left for Easter.

My favorite thing about spring is seeing all of the trees sprouting new buds and leaves, plus enjoying all of the beautiful spring flowers. Then, of course, there’s all of those glorious, warm, sunny spring days to enjoy outside.

2. Besides the weather, what’s put a spring in your step recently?

Spring is a time for “sprucing up” around our house.  We’ve waxed floors, shampooed carpets, scrubbed porches, cleaned out flower beds, added some new garden decor to the yard, and even planted some of our vegetable garden.  “Sprucing up” makes me happy, and puts a little spring into my step 🙂

new decor for the hen house…because every hen needs a rooster!

3. How does Easter impact you?

On Easter I will be cooking lunch for our family of twelve.  Ed and I don’t attend Easter services,  we prepare lunch, then hide the eggs for an afternoon egg hunt.  Everything is ready when our family arrive from attending their church services.  That being said, as a Christian, I do understand and appreciate the day for what it is really all about.  It’s not about a big meal, new clothes, Easter baskets, or hunting for eggs.  It’s about Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, through which he paid the penalty for our sins, so we can have everlasting life, if we believe in Him. I’m a believer.

4. I saw this somewhere on Facebook and thought it would make a fun Hodgepodge question. Which of the following would you find most disappointing…

a just stuffed taco shell breaking open and spilling out before you take the first bite? dropping a just-purchased Starbucks/Dunkin Donuts coffee? opening the peanut butter jar and finding it empty? upending onto the sidewalk a just-purchased ice cream cone? a burnt bagel popping up in your toaster when you’re rushing breakfast? or cutting into an avocado and finding out it’s rotten?

I think I’d be most disappointed if I upended my just-purchased ice cream cone onto the sidewalk!  We usually only buy ice cream cones when it’s hot and we’re on vacation somewhere.  Those cones are expensive, and my anticipation of eating the cold, creamy delight is quite high…so naturally, I’d be very disappointed if I dropped my ice cream cone!!!

5. What’s something held together with tape at your house? Or a paper clip? Or a wing and a prayer?

Ed has everything in good working order, since he retired, so I can’t think of a single thing at our house that needs repairing.  However, a while back, I noticed the drain pipes, under the kitchen sink, at Ed’s parents’ house, were being held together by duct tape!

6. Do you feel underappreciated? In what way?

These days, I can thankfully say, I don’t feel underappreciated, and what a blessing that is! There have been days, in the past, when this has not always been the case.  When you’re raising children, they never fully understand or appreciate the sacrifices you make for them. However, children grow up, and become parents themselves. These days, all of our grown children have expressed their appreciation to us, at one time or another, and we love it!

7. What’s something you’d build if you knew how?

Recently, I saw [on Facebook] where a friend and former co-worker of mine has learned how to build wooden porch swings.  If only I knew how, I’d love to build a comfortable, wooden swing for our porch!

Random:  A Funny story

Every year our family hides plastic eggs on Easter.  I’ve collected plastic eggs for several years, and we now have several hundred eggs.  I store the eggs in a large trash bag.

Recently, I brought the white trash bag full of eggs, out of storage, and placed the bag near Ed’s recliner until I could make time to stuff them.  I didn’t think anymore about them that day.

The following morning, when I got ready to stuff the eggs, I noticed the bag was gone!  I asked Ed, “What did you do with my eggs?”  to which he replied, “I haven’t bothered your eggs.”  Well, it turned out that Ed, being the dutiful husband he is, had picked up the bag, thinking it was trash.  He’d promptly taken the bag [of eggs] out and tossed it into the bed of his truck!  Thank goodness, the bag hadn’t been taken down to the trash dumpster, yet, or we might have had a crisis on our hands!  Scheduled egg hunt will go on, as planned 🙂

Below is an Easter memory from the past, that includes some of those plastic eggs.  That’s little Alex, whom our daughter used to babysit.

 

May you all have a blessed and happy Easter!

Spring Is Here…

Spring officially arrived yesterday, under cloudy skies.  However, it turned out to be a beautiful day, in the end, as the clouds cleared out in the afternoon. After over a week of temperatures in the 80’s, our overnight low bottomed out at 40 degrees, last night!  Whoa!  What in the world happened to our spring weather?

early blooms of spring (a $5 bargain, at Lowes)

Since spring is here, that means lots of time is being spent outside.  There’s been a lot of clean up to do around the yard, as well as flowers waiting to be repotted, and garden soil waiting to be prepared for the rest of our 2016 garden.  We have a few plants needing a permanent home…

tomatoes, lettuce, peppers

Our new Transit Connect has come in quite handy over the past few weeks, as we’ve hauled huge bags of potting soil, lawn fertilizer,  and ant poison.  We’ve also hauled several large plants and shrubs, as well as a peach tree.  We love our van!

our van, aka the “short bus”

Ed and I enjoyed another nice (and busy) weekend.  We took our weekly shopping trip, on Friday, then enjoyed some family time with a couple of our children and their families, on Friday night. That’s always a great way to kick off the weekend!

yard signs in front of the house

On Saturday morning, Ed and I finished up our weekly shopping, then later in the afternoon, Ed helped our youngest son work on a riding lawnmower that had been sitting up for a while.  When I saw that dusty, dirty lawnmower, I didn’t have a lot of faith, but, by golly, they got that sucker running, and have already mowed some grass with it!  Ed is the man 🙂

one of several azaleas in the yard

Saturday turned out to be a pretty nice day, in spite of the clouds hanging around.  One by one, our grown children and families showed up, then gathered outside in our daughter’s yard.  All had been to the church egg hunt, earlier in the day.  We sat there for the longest time, just watching the four cousins playing and enjoying each other’s company.  It was one of those moments when I wished I could stop, or at least slow down, time.  Why can’t they stay little longer?

the Easter bunny (and Dixie chick)

Eventually, the adults decided to order pizza for supper, so I came inside to make some salad, dessert, and drink to go along with it.  Once again, my kitchen was noisy and crowded with family, but it was so good to have everyone together under one roof again!  That makes two weeks in a row–and since Easter is this coming weekend, we’ll soon make it three.

the egg tree (and Dottie chick)

Ed and I have been busy, the last couple of weeks, getting ready for spring/Easter. I went outside, yesterday, and wandered around the yard, admiring our ‘touches of spring’.  I’ve scattered a few of those ‘touches’ throughout this post.  I hope you enjoy them.

a new pair of garden gnomes

Have a great Monday, and a great second day of spring!  Ed’s already outside, riding his tractor in the garden 🙂

Catching Up On Monday…

Lately, this blog seems like a long, lost friend that I need to visit more often.  More and more, I’m finding it more difficult to make my way over here to blog. Sometimes, I’m just not feeling it, and then when I am, I have other things to do.  Such as the following…

The past week went by in a whirl of activity.  There’s something about the arrival of warm, sunny days that makes me want to clean and spruce up the place!  Therefore, the beginning of last week found me stripping old wax off the kitchen floor, and applying new wax.  I know, waxing floors is a dying activity, but my floors aren’t the no wax kind–yet!  It took both Ed and myself to get the task done, but we made it!  We were so inspired by having a clean, shiny kitchen floor, the following day we began shampooing carpets, and spent the next two days doing that!  Unfortunately, I think I hurt my back, in the process, so it’s been aching for several days. Live and learn.

In addition to cleaning floors, all week, I was trying to get ready for a yard sale, on Saturday.  I’d spend a couple of hours, here and there, working on that.  Meanwhile, Ed finally got started building a small shelter to store his lawnmower under. I worry a bit about him, it’s his first real project since his heart attack, in October.

Ed and I had our yard sale, on Saturday, along with our daughter and her husband.  We held the sale at Ed’s parents’ house, and could not have asked for a prettier day!  The weather was cool and foggy, at first, but that soon gave way to glorious blue, sunny skies.  We didn’t make a lot of money  because we had our stuff priced cheap, but we got rid of a lot of stuff!  At one point, we gave a chair away, and when the chair wouldn’t fit into the lady’s car, our son put the chair in my van and delivered it to her house!

Prior to the yard sale, I worried about “Trouble”, the cat who lives alone at Ed’s parents’ house, because  I was afraid she might get hit by a car, with all of the traffic coming to the sale. However, I think all of the yard sale activity was more than “Trouble” could stand, so she quickly disappeared until the end of the day. “Trouble” did have a close call earlier in the week, though,  when she ran onto the highway to greet Ed as he was coming to feed her.  My blood runs cold just thinking about it!

Speaking of “Trouble”, she was in “hog heaven”, on Friday night, when Ed and I took a break from pricing stuff, and shared a pizza at his parents’ house.  We let her in the house with us, and she sat at the table and begged for scraps from our pizza, which we gladly shared.  Then she wandered all around the house, looking at the boxes sitting all around.  The whole situation makes me sad. Four years is a long time to live alone, at an empty house, but, at least, she has the visit from “the man with the can” to look forward to each day.

In other news, Ed and I were tickled pink when we discovered that our garden peas have sprouted!  There’s a beautiful row of little green plants now decorating the row!  We’re hoping they will soon be  joined by some potato sprouts.  Our seedlings, growing in cups, are doing quite well, in spite of the fact that I dropped one of the trays, last week.  What a mess that made, but the plants all seemed to have survived, believe it or not.

We managed to have some great time, with family, on Saturday, when all the rest of our gang met up following the yard sale.  The weather was so nice, the adults sat outside and watched the grandchildren all playing together.  Actually, our oldest son, and perhaps the biggest kid of all, was pretending to be the wrestling announcer (complete with a karaoke machine), while each child took a turn strutting up the steps and getting onto the trampoline they were using as a wrestling ring!  If I hadn’t been so tired, I surely would have taken some video of “the show”.

As suppertime neared, our youngest son volunteered to go to town and pick up some food for supper.  Praise the Lord for him, because this woman sure didn’t feel like cooking!  I think everyone enjoyed the food and the fellowship, I know I did, even if I had to enjoy much of it from my spot on the couch!

The rest of the weekend passed, and all too soon, it was time to change our clocks–all twelve of them!  Yes, Ed and I actually have twelve clocks!  Oh, how I dislike this time of the year, when the time changes!  In addition to adjusting all of those clocks, I’ll spend the next month trying to get my body clock readjusted.  On that note, I’ll just say “Have a happy Monday” and get ready for my appointment at the dermatologist’s office.  Fun times–not!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday Hodgepodge # 258…

Hello Wednesday, and hello Hodgepodge!  Lately, I’ve been experiencing some ‘technical difficulties’ and haven’t been able to see the ‘linky’ on Joyce’s Hodgepodge post, therefore, I couldn’t join the party. Not only couldn’t I see last week’s ‘linky’, I couldn’t see ANY of the previous week’s ‘linkys’ either!  Our son, Brad, tinkered with my computer, last weekend, and finally got the linkys to show up–but he doesn’t really know  how he did it.  Here’s hoping I will be able to see today’s list of Hodgepodge participants, and join in the fun!

1. March is National Women’s History Month. In that vein, who are three women who’ve been influential in your life? How so?

The first, and most, influential woman in my life was definitely my maternal grandmother.  I spent a lot of time with her, as a child, and she definitely helped mold me into the wife, mother, and homemaker I eventually became.

The second influential woman in my life was my mother, but not in the way you might think.  My mother had some problems, and made many mistakes in her lifetime.  I recognized those problems and mistakes, early in life, and vowed not to travel that same road.  Praise the Lord, my life has been very different than mama’s was!

The third most influential woman in my life was Ed’s mom.  She was the mother of five sons, and I was her first daughter-in-law.  She was so happy to finally have another female to spend time with, we did everything together!   We shopped together, we cooked together, and we just plain enjoyed each other’s company! My mother-in-law treated me like the daughter she never had, and taught me many things during our forty-three years together.  I also thank my in laws for setting a great example of what a good marriage looks like.

2. In what ways do you think women have it easier than men?

I’ve always thought I had it easier than Ed because, fortunately, I’ve never had to work outside the home.  The years I chose to work, I did so because I wanted to, not because I had to.

I could never keep up with Ed, physically, either.  Back in the day, the man was a workhorse!  Eight or nine years ago, Ed made a two-hour commute to work, held down a full-time job, and a part-time job, plus spent every extra waking hour actually building the house we now live in.

3. What do you need most right now: faith, love, hope, or peace?

I have plenty of faith, love, and hope, but, often, find myself lacking peace.  It’s always been my nature to worry, even though I know I shouldn’t.  I’m trying to work on that!

4. Do you have a collection? If so, what do you collect and why?

I’m almost embarrassed to answer this question!  Yes, I do collect several things.  I collect “coca cola” items (our home is decorated with various “coca cola” decor  throughout), I also collect [resin] frogs, I collect [stuffed] teddy bears, and dolls.  My doll collection is my largest collection, but my “coca cola” collection runs a close second.

Chatty Cathy collection

some of my older Barbie collection

5. Plaids, checks, polka dots, stripes…your favorite?

For some reason, I’ve always been drawn to polka dots, but, these days, I’d choose stripes.

6. In what ways are you the same as your childhood self?

I’m still shy and unsure of myself, just like I was as a child.  I also still have the same dark brown eyes, and crooked teeth.

7. You’re a contestant on the TV game show Jeopardy. What category will you ace?

None!  Ha!  Jeopardy is NOT my kind of show… My best chance would probably be in a category having to do with music from the sixties or seventies.

Random:

Praise the Lord, my mammogram results came back normal, last week!  What a relief!

In other random news, yesterday, I rode out to the city cemetery for a few minutes. While I was there, I was reminded of the following music video by country singer, Cole Swindell.

Why you ask?  Because Cole Swindell is originally from our little town, and so was his dad, Keith. Unfortunately, Keith was killed in a freak accident  a couple of years ago, when the car he was working under fell on top of him.  The accident happened about the time his son, Cole, got his big break and record deal. Not long ago, Cole came back “home” to make this music video for the song [Cole wrote for his dad], entitled “You Should Be Here”. Those are Cole’s brothers (and their families) in the video, as well as our little downtown area, and, of course, the city cemetery.

Hoppin’ Into Another Hodgepodge…

Once again, I find myself hoppin’ into another edition of the Wednesday Hodgepodge, brought to us courtesy of Joyce @ From This Side Of The Pond.  Thanks, Joyce!  With both of us now having retired hubbys at home, I appreciate all that you do even more 🙂   Here are today’s questions:

1. This coming weekend is Palm Sunday, which marks the beginning of Holy Week. Do you celebrate Easter in your home? What was your favorite Easter tradition as a child?

We’ve always celebrated Easter in our home, and still do. We’ve done it all– colored eggs, attended Easter services, experienced annual visits from the Easter Bunny, cooked the noon meal, and hosted the afternoon egg hunt.  It makes me tired just thinking about all of the activities!

As a  child, my favorite Easter tradition was probably coloring Easter eggs, although I enjoyed getting a new Easter outfit, too.

2. George Weinberg is quoted as saying, ‘Hope never abandons you, you abandon it.‘ Agree or disagree? Share your own thoughts on the word hope.

I agree with Mr. Weinberg.  I believe there is always Hope, but, sometimes, when the going gets extremely tough, people tend to forget this and give up.  My thoughts on hope?  “God can.”

3. Weigh in with a yay or nay on the traditional Easter candies. A solid milk chocolate bunny? Cadbury Creme Eggs? Peeps? Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs? Jellybeans? Coconut Cream Eggs? Of the candies listed, which one would you most like to find in your Easter basket?

Solid milk chocolate bunny – Yay (especially if it’s Dove chocolate)  

Cadbury Creme Eggs – Nay

Peeps – Yay

Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs – Yay

Jellybeans – Yay (especially black or orange ones!)

Coconut Cream Eggs – Never tried them

Just put a Dove chocolate bunny and a few jellybeans in my basket, and I’ll be happy, but, actually, Brach’s ( marshmallow) chicks and bunnies are my favorite Easter candy.

4. When did you last feel ‘like a kid in a candy store’?

The last time I felt like a ‘kid in a candy store’ was the last time I visited Hobby Lobby.  I love that store, and I always enjoy bringing home something from there, too!  It’s been about six or seven weeks since I was last there, and I bought a Valentine’s Day decoration for the front porch.

 5. What’s something you know you do differently than most people? Does that bother you? Does it bother other people?

I write with my left hand, but I crochet and use the scissors with my right hand.  It doesn’t bother me or anyone else, to my knowledge.  I’m just thankful I don’t have to use left-handed scissors.

6. Palm Springs CA, Palm Beach FL, or the PALMetto State…of the three mentioned, which sunny spot would you most like to visit right now? Which have you visited at one time or another?

I’d like to visit Palm Beach FL. because I love Florida, I love the beach, and Florida isn’t far away from Georgia, where I live.  Actually, to tell the truth, I’d be thrilled to visit any beach right about now!!!

I’ve visited parts of the PALMetto State, a few times, Hilton Head and Charleston, to be exact, and I loved both places.

7. If you could change the length of a day would you lengthen it or shorten it? Tell us why.

If I could change the length of a day, I’d lengthen it because I’m getting  slower as I age, and there never seems to be enough hours in a day to accomplish all of the things I want to do.  Perhaps a few more hours would help!

Random:  

Spring is here!

 

We’re ready for Easter at our house!

 Inside and out!

Going Green With The Hodgepodge…

Spring has arrived, in all its glory, here in our neck of the woods!  The trees are in full bloom, and the azaleas are beginning to burst forth.  Temperatures have been in the upper 80’s, this week!  Ed and I have been making the best of these glorious days–and I have the sunburn to prove it!

Now it’s time to take a bit of a break, from yard work, and indulge in my favorite mid-week meme, The Wednesday Hodgepodge.  This bit of informative fun it brought to us each week by our hostess, Joyce, @ From This Side Of The Pond.  Here are this week’s questions:

1. Share a favorite song, book, or movie title containing the word green?

This is an easy question for me because I’ve been playing this ‘oldie’ a lot, lately–Green Grass by Gary Lewis and the Playboys!  Good stuff! Below is a nice YouTube version of this great old song.

2. Ralph Waldo Emerson is quoted as saying, ‘Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect.’ Would you agree? Are you a believer in luck?

Well, go ahead and call me shallow, but I do believe in luck, somewhat. For example, two people, equally qualified, apply for a job.  One  gets the job, while the other doesn’t.  How about, two people purchase a lottery ticket, and one person wins while the other doesn’t?  Explain it anyway you want, but I call it luck.

3. Spring water, Hot Springs, handspring, spring fling, spring break, spring fever, offspring…which ‘spring’ word best applies to something in your day, week, or life right now?

At the moment, I could easily choose a couple of these answers, but I’m going with “spring fever” because Ed and I have been as busy as bees sprucing up around the yard.  There’s something about spring that makes us want to clean and paint everything outside!  Everything is looking much better, thanks to several recent days of ‘fun in the sun’!

4. What’s something you do to make yourself look or feel more confident?

I have my hair cut and styled every five weeks.  I look forward to that appointment very much!

5.  It’s National Celery Month…are you a fan? If so, what’s a snack or dish you enjoy that calls for celery?

 I’m not a fan of celery.  I can only eat celery if it’s used sparingly as an ingredient in some kind of dish.

6. What’s one thing you wish you’d learned sooner?

Pay yourself first!   A word to young folks here: If you think you don’t have enough money to live on and save for your future–find a way!!!  Retirement comes a lot quicker than you think.

7. Would you like to own a second home? If so where would you want that home to be?

First of all, let me say how thankful I am that we own the home we live in.  It’s ours, paid for in full, except for the yearly taxes we have to pay.  (A lot of people can’t say that.)  Second, let me say that we are currently responsible for a second home (Ed’s parents’), for now.  Having a second home to see about is more headache and responsibility!  All of that being said, if money was no object, and I could hire some caretakers, I’d love to own a second home at the beach–right on the water, if possible!  (Might as well dream big, right?)

Random:

Sending get-well wishes to this little cutie, who is currently battling a double ear infection (on the heels of a stomach virus)!  I hope you feel better soon, Evan!!!  In the picture, Evan had been decorating a shamrock for St. Patrick’s Day.  I’d say he enjoyed himself, wouldn’t you?

 

photo from Jennifer’s Facebook page

Springing Into Another Hodgepodge…

It’s time for another edition of mid-week fun, aka ‘The Wednesday Hodgepodge.  I always look forward to this mid-week distraction from life, and our hostess, Joyce, never disappoints with her endless supply of questions!  I haven’t been feeling my best, lately, so I welcome this week’s distraction.  Here are Joyce’s questions, along with my answers:

1. What’s the first image that comes to mind when you hear the word ‘spring’? Which phrase best describes the season of spring where you live right now (today)-sprung! almost there, or still waiting?

According to our thermometer, the birds fluttering all about, and a few random trees blooming out, I’ll say “spring has sprung!”  Our temperatures have been warm (70’s and 80’s) for the past several days.  We’ll most likely have one more cold snap before Easter, though.  We always do.  In the meantime, I’ll do my best to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.

2. Bed, couch, stapler, garage door, computer mouse, recliner, flashlight, door knob…which household item containing springs most needs replacing in your home? Speaking of springs…did you ever own a Slinky?

We just replaced two wireless computer mouses, does that count?  Everything else we own, that’s on the list, is in pretty good shape, thank goodness!

I never had a Slinky, but, as a child, I always wanted one!  The closest thing I’ve ever had to a Slinky is a ‘Slinky Dog’, which I purchased a few years back, when Toy Story 3 came out. ‘Slinky Dog’ is still in his original box, because I bought him as a collector’s item, although I did let our granddaughter play with him once or twice.

3. March is Women’s History Month. Share a favorite quote by a woman.

I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle.  I just wish He didn’t trust me so much.–Mother Teresa

4. What’s a question that looms large in your mind right now?

Will Ed and I always be able to stretch our retirement income until the end of each and every month?  (I think about this a lot!)

5. Are you a sugar freak? By that I mean how much do you love sugar? With all the bad press sugar gets these days, have you made any efforts to reduce the amount of sugar you consume?

I really like sugar!  Not so much in the form of candy, but I do enjoy a good dessert!  I didn’t realize how much I liked sugar until I had to totally give it up for several weeks, due to health issues. No fun! ( By the way,  it’s virtually impossible to remove all sugar from one’s diet! There’s sugar [in some form or another] in almost everything!)  These days, I’ve been able to add some sugar back into my diet, but I’ll always have to watch those grams of sugar closely!

6. Would you rather have less work to do or more work you enjoy doing?

I’d rather have more work that I enjoy doing!   I’ve become bored with doing housework.

7. Ever been to Texas? Of the top ten Texas tourist attractions which would you most like to see-The Alamo, The San Antonio River Walk, The State Capital, Dallas World Aquarium, Padre Island National Seashore, Houston Space Center, Schlitterbahn Waterpark in New Braunfels, Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Moody Gardens, or Galveston Island?

I’ve never been to Texas, but Ed has.  He spent four months there, while he was in the army.  I have a picture of him standing in front of The Alamo.  Since I particularly like the ocean, I’d like to visit the Padre Island National Seashore, but several of the other choices peaked my interest, too.

Random:

I’m having issues with leaving comments, again.  If you haven’t seen a comment from me, lately, that’s why. On Monday, I left lots of comments, but none of them would publish.  This is so frustrating!  I’ll attempt to comment again today, and see how it goes…  Whether you see a comment or not, from me, I am visiting you!

~~~~~~~~

 Spring is almost here in our neck of the woods…  The following pictures were borrowed from Facebook friend, David Summerford’s  ‘Spring Bicycling 2015’ album.  David takes long bicycle rides, and always takes nice photographs along the way.