A Give Away on My Hodgepodge

It is Wednesday so it must be HodgePodge . . and . . .drumroll please . . .today is the canvas giveaway here on Musings of a Middle Aged Mom. See details at the end of today's post!!

1.Describe your 30's in one sentence. If you're not yet 30 tell us one thing you hope to accomplish once you hit that particular decade. 

I'll be 60 in 9 days . . .double 30's???  My 30's were filled with twins (ages 2-11) so our summer days were filled with visits to the pool and park with popsicles and other treats from the ice cream man; pre-school and elementary room mother duties and field trips; Emmaus Walks; teaching Sunday School; being a wife and mom who wore tennis shoes and lacy socks (horror!!) and had poofy hair! I cheated . . . that was the longest run-on sentence EVER and I'm sure I left out a ton of stuff!!

2. Is it harder for you to exercise or eat healthy?

For the last 18 months, I have eaten healthy meals and snacks 99.9% of the time and I have exercised 6 days a week . . .and I've lost about 77 pounds. I think at this stage of the game, the two are so tied together for me that they are almost inseparable. They are both difficult, yet rewarding.

I've ridden a million miles on my bike

and I added a little "water aerobics" in the

neighborhood pool

3. June 7th is National VCR Day. Huh? Anyway this reminded me of something I saw on Facebook listing household items we no longer have and the VCR was on it. I couldn't put my hands on that list, but found another list here of 21 items we all had ten years ago, but which are now obsolete-

bookshelves (WHAT!!???), drip coffee makers, alarm clocks, file cabinets, desktop computers, printers, printed phone books, answering machines, fax machines, paper shredders, a Rolodex, CD racks, CD burners, china cabinets, home phones, entertainment consoles, DVD players, calculators, takeout menus, incandescent light bulbs, and cable TV

Your thoughts? How many on the list do you still have? Still use?

I do still have a bookshelf or two but I used to have a wall of bookcases. I hadn't even thought about them being obsolete but I'm helping that to happen!! We have a Keurig. We use our phones as our alarms. We no longer have a file cabinet at home. I use a desktop computer in my work office but I also use my tablet on my job almost every day. We do have a printer at home but it uses so much ink that I don't use it often!! I don't remember the last time I saw a phone book. We don't have an answering machine. We do have a fax machine at work and one of the older gentlemen in our congregation says he uses his fax machine every day!! We have a paper shredder in the office and we have giant bins that are picked up by a local company for most of our shredding needs. Nope on the Rolodex and CD racks. We do have a burner at the office. I still have a china cabinet and I love my china and I think I've passed that love on to my daughter, which is very unusual in this day and time. We don't have a home phone. We don't have an entertainment console and when we sold our last house (4 years ago), we had a custom entertainment center that was hand built and cost $3,000. We actually had a HORRIBLE time even giving it away. We finally found Habitat for Humanity ReStore and my husband and son (and neighbor and daughter-in-law) had to dismantle it and take it to the driveway in order for them to pick it up!! 

We do still have a DVD player because we use it for Bible studies on Tuesday nights. I still have a calculator in my office but use the one on my phone most of the time. I usually look up menus on my phone. I'm not the light bulb purchaser at home or work so I don't have an answer to that question!!!  Last but not least, we still have cable tv (U-verse) but are considering cancelling it because our bill has gone through the roof!

4. What's something you see disappearing in the next ten years?

I sometimes wonder about email because it seems like most of the younger folks in my office check text messages much more often than email. I also wonder about check out personnel in stores - I wonder if in 10 years, we will be self-pay in most stores??  I wonder if we will be driving our own cars or have cars that drive themselves?? I can't wait to see what other people think will disappear.

5. How did you celebrate your birthday this past year? Is that typical?

You are asking me to remember last year??  Really?  I just told you that I'm turning double 30's in 9 days and you are asking me to remember last year??  I think our Tuesday night group brought cake. Nope - just looked back - that was in 2016!  In 2016 and in 2017, I volunteered to read a book to the kids at Summer Camp for Overflow. 

reading at Overflow in 2016 . . .and 77 pounds heavier

I can't believe the difference

birthday dinner at Hot and Hot - 2016 - if you ever

come to Birmingham, you need to make reservations

at Hot and Hot

birthday present from a friend - 2017

fresh watermelon margarita at Moss

Rock Tacos and Tequila - birthday dinner 2017

all birthdays are celebrated on

Sunday at my mother-in-law's housed

Emma is such a grown up girl in just a year's time

birthday gifts 2017

Just looked back through pictures on my tablet, we ate dinner at Moss Rock Tacos and Tequila for my birthday last year with our son, daughter-in-law, and grandbaby and we celebrated at my mother-in-law's house on the Sunday afterwards. Everyone's birthday is on a Sunday at Grandmother's house.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Today is the Give Away.  Look back at this post.  If you comment on THIS blogpost, you are entered to win the 16 X 20 canvas print.  I have ONE canvas to give away from Canvas Factory.  I will randomly select on Friday so make sure I have your email address so I can contact you!!