Friends, Family, and Faithful Hodgepodge

 

1. February 26th is National Tell A Fairy Tale Day...have you read a fairy tale lately? What's your favorite fairy tale? Do you believe in 'happily ever after'? I have not read a fairy tale lately. As an adult, I loved Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid. When I was a kid, we were told Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretel and Three Little Pigs. Have you ever noticed that sometimes fairy tales are really dark??? I would like to believe in "happily ever after" but I think that is a cliche. I think there are lots of ups and downs in life - especially in a relationship - and some folks might "appear" to be living happily ever after . . .but I'm not sure I believe it.

2. Complete one of the following sentences with a thought relating to your life currently-(I'm going to fill in all three because I can't seem to follow instructions)

• Once upon a time____I was thinner!_______
• A long time ago____I married Mark and became a part of their family____________
• In a place far far away____I imagine myself - staying in one of those huts out over the water______

3. Which of the following 'fairy tale foods' is your favorite? Which have you made/eaten most recently? 

porridge/oatmeal (Goldilocks and The Three Bears) - I eat oatmeal fairly regularly, an apple (Snow White) - I eat apples several times a week, a gingerbread cookie (The Gingerbread Man) - I don't remember the last time I ate a gingerbread cookie, pumpkin soup/pie/bread (Cinderella) - Thanksgiving, peas (The Princess and the Pea) - last week, beans (Jack and The Beanstalk) - I ate green beans on Monday or a cup of tea (Alice in Wonderland) - I've had a glass of iced tea, but I haven't had a cup of hot tea in quite a while.

4. What's your idea of fun? Laughing until I cry is always fun! Being with the granddaughters can be fun! Hanging out with friends can be fun! Traveling to far away places can be fun!

5. Next week's Hodgepodge lands in March. Is that right? I guess so.  Give us one noun, one verb, and one adjective that tell us something about your February. To make you think a little harder, you cannot use the words cold or snowy. February -- friends, family, faithful (meaning we keep showing up and doing what we are supposed to do . . in addition to our faith in God). (I know the difference in nouns, verbs, and adjectives . . .I just didn't read the instructions very well!)

6. Insert your own random thought here. I'm writing this on Monday night. My mid-term is later this week so I've been studying!! It has been an interesting class.

Weekend in Review

Thursday's mail delivery brought a surprise! I've been accepted at Samford University beginning fall semester. Samford has a gorgeous campus here in town, but they also offer a few Bachelor's degrees online.

Thursday night, there was no eating or drinking after midnight because we had to be at the Callahan Eye Hospital at 6:45 a.m. Friday. My vision changed drastically between my yearly check-up in September and Christmas. I made an appointment with Dr. Mullins for January and after our visit . . .I was scheduled for cataract surgery.

 

Our family has been through so much since June of 2021 that I only told 6 people I was having surgery. I highly recommend Callahan Eye Hospital. It is the only level one occular trauma center in the U.S. and has an emergency department open 24/7. They have 16 operating rooms and they normally do about 100 surgeries each day. They do LOTS of eye surgeries but there is also a hand surgeon that uses one of their operating rooms and they do deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's, along with a few overflow surgeries from the main UAB hospital. Everyone from folks who called me to pre-register to the anesthesiologist and the nurses and the surgeon were not only excellent but kind and some were even funny!

I took the photo below to send to our kids and a couple of close friends . . .and now I'm sharing it with you. I had to wear the occular shield for 24 hours and now I'm wearing it at night. I have one bottle of eye drops that I have to put one drop in my eye four times a day. The cataract was very small BUT it was right in the line of sight (that is not the correct way to say that, but you get the point).

We were back home by 9:30 a.m. and I spent the next 24 hours in my recliner without any lights. When we first got home, I was standing in the bathroom cleaning out a drawer and realized . . .oh! I'm supposed to be taking it easy haha! I don't know how to do that BUT I did it anyway. I'm amazed at how tired I was -- I guess it was a result of anesthesia.

I did shower on Saturday afternoon (can't get the eye wet!) and get dressed and we went to eat with our friends for our monthly supper club. I didn't dress up . . .I can't wear ANY make-up for at least a week, maybe longer.

Have y'all heard of boxbollen? The guys were trying out the game. You put a headband on that has a ball attached and you box the ball!

Mark wasn't in the first round of photos.

Here is Mark!

We had homemade gumbo and salad and crab cakes. I didn't have a crab cake.

I forgot to use my dinner time drop before we left home, so we were the first ones to leave on Saturday night. I got up on Sunday morning and went to work and taught over 60 people in Sunday School WITH NO MAKE-UP ON! My sister-in-law and a good friend both told me that I looked ok without it but I felt pretty naked . . .and I don't wear a lot of make-up.

Sunday night, we swung around the circle and picked up our neighbors, Lu and Dave, and headed to Casual Pint for a bite of dinner.

They had a few Mardi Gras decorations out. The restaurant was packed so we sat at the bar to eat.

The reason the restaurant was so packed was because it was BINGO night. We didn't know that. Also, who KNEW that so many people would come out on Sunday night for BINGO?? Lu and Dave and I decided to buy a card to play. The "pots" were anywhere from $300-$400. I think my three cards were $5. Some people were buying multiples. None of us won anything but someone one each time.

I ordered a chicken bacon ranch flatbread. It was yummy.

Sitting at the bar was not conducive to conversation so after we ate, we all piled back into the car. A weird engine light came on while we were driving to the restaurant so Dave brought his "code reader" over and they hooked it up. Whatever it is shouldn't cause any problems driving but it is something about emissions. We will have to figure out a time to take it to the shop.

That was our weekend. What did you do this weekend? Anything exciting?

 

It's a Ninja Sunday Stealing - really?

Since Bev is taking a break from being the chief thief for Sunday Stealing . . .I have been "stealing" old questions from her blog. This is from 2010 and she evidently stole it from The Ninja Meme originally. I would love to hear some of your answers to the questions!

Cheers to all of us thieves!

1. What do you add to your coffee? I don't drink coffee, but my husband drinks his with lots of half and half - no sugar, only cream.

2. What are you reading now? I'm reading Obsessed by James Patterson. Actually, if you want to be literal -- I'm reading these questions right now :-).

3. Do you own a gun? I do not personally, but we own guns. My husband has quite a few guns because he grew up hunting and his family has a farm about two hours away and he always has a gun with him when he is there. I have shot guns at targets before and had a good time.

4. Are you registered to vote? I am.

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Sometimes - depends on why I'm going to see the doctor.

6. What do you think of hot dogs? I lguess I like them - I don't eat them often. Sneaky Pete's is a local franchise and their dog with their sauce is good. When I was young and worked downtown, we would walk to Gus's hotdogs at lunch.

7. Favorite Christmas Song? I know that I have answered this one lately -- I'm going with Silent Night.

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? I drink Diet Pepsi.

9. Can you do push ups? I ccan do a modified one. My Physical Therapist taught me to do planks from a standing position and I've done more of those than push ups.

10. What was the name of your first boyfriend/girlfriend? I had multiple crushes before my first real boyfriend. I guess the first real one was Jimmy.

11. What’s your favorite piece of jewelery? My engagement ring and wedding ring.

12. Favorite hobby? I love to read.

13. Do you work with people who idolize you? hahahahahaha! Let me get up from the floor after laughing so hard. I don't know of ANYONE who idolizes me.

14. Do you have ADD? I am pretty sure I have undiagnosed ADD. Squirrel?

15. What’s one trait that you hate about yourself? I sometimes interrupt when others are talking. I don't want to do that.

16. What’s your Middle name? My middle name given to me by my parents is Kay. My middle name now that I'm married is Walls.

17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment. My back hurts. I need a different strength of drugstore reading glasses. I just took a great nap.

18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday. I don't think I bought anything yesterday. I placed a grocery order this morning and had it delivered and three things in that order -- diet pepsis, salad, strawberries.

19. Name 3 beverages you regularly drink. Diet Pepsi, water, diet Canada Dry ginger ale.

20. Current worry right now? I'm trying not to worry but to turn it over to God.

21. What side do you dress to? I am not totally sure about the meaning of this question. I think I dress to the front because that is what I can see in the mirror.

22. Favorite place to be? With my people! I know I've answered that question recently, too.

23. Name three people who you will see today. I'm typing this on Saturday and Mark and I will see Phella and Guy and Laura. We are headed to our supper club later.

It's a Cherry of a Hodgepodge

Wednesdays sure do roll around quickly. I'm so amazed that Joyce is writing these questions . . .all while keeping her grands for several days! Way to go, Joyce!!  Join us by answering the questions in the comments section or by copying and pasting the questions into your own blog and linking up with everyone here.

1. Many of our earliest presidents created words or expressions widely used today. Teddy Roosevelt is credited with mollycoddle, pack rat, frazzle, and loose cannon...which of those words/phrases currently relates to your life in some way? One of our family member has been mollycoddled all of his life. We also have some family members who were/are pack rats which is causing a lot of other family members to feel frazzled and that has made a few other family members feel like loose cannons. Do I get bonus points for using ALL of the words? hahaha!

2. Have you visited many (or any) of the US Presidents homes, monuments, libraries or related sites? If so what's been your favorite? Are there any you particularly want to see? Here's a link to presidential sites listed by state which is kind of fun to read-Presidential Places by State. And since several bloggers who participate in the HP each week live outside the US, here's a link to Presidential Places Outside the US. Have you seen any of those? We've been to FDR's Little White House in Warm Springs, GA and we've been to several of the places in DC. I thought Pearl Harbor might have had some presidential "stuff" but it evidently doesn't. We've been there :-). I want to go to London so it would be cool to see some of the sights/markers/monuments there for a U.S. President.

3. February 20th is National Cherry Pie Day...will you celebrate? Given your choice of cherry pie, cherry cobbler, cheesecake with a cherry topping, or black forest cake which would you choose? I won't be celebrating National Cherry Pie Day, but I do love fresh cherries. I don't eat sweets but if I did . . . I would pick cheesecake with cherry topping.

4. Last time you worked a puzzle of some kind? Something that had you puzzled recently? I haven't worked one in a while -- I'm sure the last one I worked was with our middle granddaughter. I've been puzzled by the behavior of others lately!!

5. Of the early blooming flowers (January-early March depending on your zone) which one's your favorite? I love forsythia. The daffodils/jonquils are blooming here and they are pretty, too. After I typed the previous two sentences, I see below . . .you have given me the names of some other flowers.

snowdrops, lenten roses, pansies, violets, snapdragons, reticulated iris, crocus, winter jasmine

Do you have any of these in your own yard/garden? From the list above, I would choose pansies -- yellow pansies with purple on their little faces. We have some regular iris (irises - I need to look that up - plural of iris!), but none of the others listed.

6. Insert your own random thought here. A local weather forecaster created this meme at some point. We actually aren't in second false spring yet. It is going down to 21 degrees tonight and 18 tomorrow night - BRRRR!!. I guess we are in actual winter . . .because we had false spring last week!

Weekend (plus a puppy!) in Review

No . . . we didn't get a puppy BUT my boss gota new puppy and she is adorable. Her name is Amalie which is French . . . and she is a French pointer. She has brightened up our office.

I just had to snap a photo of these gorgeous flowers. One of our young adults gave us the plant for Christmas and in memory of my sister. These blooms aren't original - - they are a second blooming and they are as big as dinner plates!!

Here is another cute picture of Amalie. I LOVE the spot on her back! She has my office slipper in her mouth and she played with it and played with it and played with it!

On Thursday evening, Mark and I took a BBQ sandwich from Full Moon BBQ, along with some french fries and fried okra to Bill at the nursing home. From the outside, it doesn't look so bad.

It was THE ONLY bed available for Bill in the whole greater Birmingham area. They moved him in last Monday and it was one of the worst week's of his life, along with Mark and their sister, Susie. He was placed in the middle bed between two men with dementia. Bill has Parkinson's and Lymphoma, but still has his mind . . .but is trapped in his bed. They have found him a single room at a nursing home closer to all of us and he is hopefully being moved today. I had worked a long week and Mark fed Bill while I held his drink for him. When we got home, we crashed and watched mindless TV.

Friday was Valentine's Day and Mark headed to the farm. He needed to be away from everyone and everything and he needed to breathe outside air and do some manual labor.

I, on the other hand, stayed home. I met my three close friends for our monthly lunch. One friend brought the rest of us a Valentine. Isn't she beautiful (below)? My friend is beautiful, too!

I told this story yesterday in Sunday School. While we were eating, our server stopped by our table and saw our Valentine bags. She jokingly said, "Where's mine?" She then told us that her mother used to give her something for Valentine's Day, but no longer did. One friend, who asked to remain nameless yesterday when I asked permission to share as I was teaching, left the restaurant and went to Pastry Arts and purchased baby bites for this server. She returned to the restaurant and gave them to the server . . . and the server was speechless. What a perfect Valentine!!

That afternoon at 4:00, I had my last PT session and I graduated. She almost killed me and I'm still sore. She was pushing me on purpose to make sure I am truly better. I have no idea how much I'm going to owe them. I started before Thanksgiving and just graduated. I'm hoping my insurance pays a lot. I got a t-shirt as a graduation gift. 

Friday night, I prepared supper and had everything almost ready when Mark came in from the farm. I made shrimp and grits. I cut Conecuh sausage into tiny cubes and browned those. I removed the Conecuh from the skillet and added a little olive oil/butter and sautéed the shrimp until pink. I then tossed the Conecuh back into the skillet and squeezed a lime (I didn't have a lemon!) over it all. I cooked the grits and added some cheese and butter and served the shrimp over the top. I felt like it was a good Valentine's dinner.

I spent a large portion of Saturday morning preparing Sunday lunch for our family. I have to work on Sunday mornings so I needed everything ready to go in the oven. I also prepped a large salad because we were headed to our neighborhood supper club on Saturday night. I didn't take a single photo! We knew two of the couples, but met two new couples. That is a funny sentence!! The hostess served lasagna and I took a giant gorgeous salad. Someone brought an appetizer and bread and one of the other couples brought dessert. It is so fun seeing the homes of others in our neighborhood.

During the day on Saturday, I also took time to clip some greenery from our courtyard and I made a centerpiece for Sunday lunch.

When we got home from supper club, I set the table and made sure the kitchen was spic and span clean and we hit the sheets. A huge storm came through around 1:00 and woke me up. I never went back to sleep and got up at 4:50. I normally get up at 5:00. Right before I left for work at 6:45, I figured out why I didn't sleep. I had taken Sunday mornings medicine . . .instead of Saturday night. I got to work and decorated my boss's office -- remember he is the Senior Pastor. It was his 50th birthday! (hence the puppy up above). I worked until 9:30 and then ran up to the third floor and taught Sunday School. I think I told y'all that one of the young classes is meeting with us - so couples in their 30's with littles and folks in their 60's and up. We are having so much fun in the month of February. They have asked if they can meet with us every February!! After teaching, I ran back to the Welcome desk and worked until 11:15 and hurried home and heated up lunch. We had 12 for lunch -- youngest is 8, almost 9, and George, Mark's twin brother, is the oldest. Let's see . . .8, almost 9, 27 and 27 and35ish and 38 and 39 and 63 and 63 and 66 and 67 and two at 71 . . .George is older by a few minutes. We sat and talked for a little while after lunch and then everyone left and we crashed and took a nap. Our cable/internet was knocked out during the storm and won't be back until Wednesday!! We played our version of Dominoes and went to bed early!

What did you do this weekend?

 

Sunday Stealing from back in 2010

I keep hopping back over to Bev's blog . . .and she still isn't back. I have periods of time where I can't write, so maybe she is going through one of those times. We miss her!  I found these questions in one of her posts from February of 2010.

1. How old will you be in five years? I'll be 71. How can that even be possible?

2. Who did you spend at least two hours with today? I've not left the house today. Mark just went to Home Depot. We haven't been "hanging out" together - we've been doing different things, but we have been in the same house/garage for at least two hours. Tonight we are going to a neighbor's house for dinner so we will be with 10 other people for at least two hours.

3. How tall are you? I used to be 5' 5" tall. I imagine I have shrunk. Is shrunk a word? It looks and sounds funny!

4. What do you look forward to most in the next six weeks? Spring is coming. I look forward to longer days and more sunshine.

5. What’s the last movie you saw? I don't even know. I actually looked at my Amazon prime account -- I watched a Christmas movie and I watched Evil Under the Sun (Agatha Christie) sometime recently  -- in December, I guess!

6. Who was the last person you called? I talked to both of our kids yesterday. I've texted with them today. I actually just facetimed with our daughter!!

7. Who was the last person to call you? One of our kids.

8. What was the last text message you received? I just received a text from one of our Welcome Center volunteers telling me that she and her husband won't be able to volunteer tomorrow.

9. Who was the last person to leave you a voicemail? My neighbor, MJ. We are planning a dessert and coffee/wine gathering at her house for everyone in our neighborhood who goes to the same church we attend.

10. Do you prefer to call or text? I prefer a text from most people except our kids  or Mark. . .and sometimes close friends. My sister and I talk four mornings a week while I drive to work.

11. What were you doing at 12am last night? I was asleep!

12. Are your parents married/separated/divorced? My parents are both dead. My mom died when I was 15 and my dad died when I was 25. A few years after my mom died, my dad remarried. They were married for five years until he died from cancer. She, too, is no longer with us.

13. When is the last time you saw your mom? My daddy called the school and told them to tell me to walk home. I had walked home for lunch just a short time before and my mom told me she loved me. Those were her last words 51 years ago.

14. What color are your eyes? They are green/hazel.

15. What time did you wake up today? We slept in this morning until almost 7:00.

16. What are you wearing right now? I haven't showered yet today . . .coming soon! I have on shorts and a t-shirt. On the front of the shirt is this phrase, "All the cool kids are reading." It is from the elementary school where our daughter teaches and it was the fund raiser for the library.

17. What is your favorite christmas song? Silent Night sung at the end of the Christmas Eve service is pretty special. 

18. Where is your favorite place to be? My favorite place to be is with our people. My favorite place to be is also somewhere traveling the world . . .or closer to home . . . sitting in a beach chair on a white sandy beach on the coast of Alabama.

19. Where is your least favorite place to be? Hospital . . .or with sick people . . .not my gift.

20. Where would you go if you could go anywhere? I think I would want to go to each continent and cover as many places as possible.

21. Where do you think you’ll be in 10 years? In ten years, I'll be 76 years old. I hope I'm still trying to do good in the world. It was fun to think 10 years ahead when I was 20. It could quickly move to morbid at my age!!

22. Do you tan or burn? I tan . . .I would burn if I didn't wear sunscreen. I love a tan. I've started using Tan Towel Full Body (5 in a box for $30) from Amazon and love them. I've used them for several years now.

23. What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child? I don't know -- maybe a monster under the bed?

24. What was the last thing that really made you laugh? I'm sure it was something/someone at work.

25. How many TVs do you have in your house? We have two inside the house and one in the garage.

26. How big is your bed? We have a king sized bed.

27. Do you have a laptop or desktop computer? I have two laptops. I have a work computer that I use for all sorts of things (Dell laptop) and I have a computer with less of everything that I bought to use for school.

29. What color are your sheets? Our sheets are white. Our duvet cover and pillow shams are white.

30. How many pillows do you sleep with? I have a very flat pillow that I love and it goes everywhere with me. I have a bigger one that I sometimes use, too.

31. What is your favorite season? I like everything except winter.

32. What do you like about Autumn? I love the fall colors. I love fall decorations. I love Thanksgiving and Halloween. I love to hear leaves crunch when you walk through them. I love SEC football.

33. What do you like about winter? I like Christmas. I do think there is some beauty in bare tree limbs.

It Is Valentine's Day!!

Happy Valentine's Day to you!! I have lots of things to do today but thought it would be fun to remember a special date or two that Mark and I have had over our 40 years of marriage! I also want to remind you that you don't have to have a date - you can hang out with friends. I'm meeting three close friends for lunch today -- I guess it is a Galentine's lunch!

One year, (I think it was 2009) Mark made reservations at a local restaurant that was normally not open for dinner, but they were doing a prix fixe menu for Valentine's night. He didn't tell me where we were going -- he just told me to get dressed and dinner would be a surprise. We drove downtown to the Karios Kafe (no longer open) and it was the nicest dinner and each female guest was presented with a long stemmed rose. I loved eating at that restaurant - our office would get lunch from there quite often. The chef/owner had been in prison and had been a part of a Kairos weekend (similar to an Emmaus Walk or a Tres Dias) and was a changed man. It was nice to be surprised by Mark. I went online to find a picture of the now-closed restaurant and found the menu for that night in 2009! Look at the prices -- oh my goodness!!

At Kairos, chef-owner James Jones is preparing a three-course dinner served in a candlelight setting with live music from Redemption Row.

The soup choices will be pasta fagioli or cream of potato, and the salad options will be mixed green salad with raspberry vinaigrette with feta or blue cheese, or a broccoli salad.

Entree options include grilled filet mignon with twice-baked potatoes ($25.99); sauteed chicken tenders with a light cream sauce and served with spinach and fettuccine ($17.99); or pan-seared salmon with a strawberry-honey glaze and a side of green beans ($19.99).

Desserts feature a choice of strawberry cheesecake cups or chocolate-chocolate cake.

On February 14, 2023, we were in Jerusalem at the David Citadel hotel and Mark was the only guy at our table. That was a Valentine's dinner to remember.

We don't go out often on Valentine's Day - restaurants are crowded, wait staffs are quite often stressed to the max. Another good surprise was one I planned for Mark. I purchased airline tickets and didn't tell Mark where we were going! We flew to New Orleans and checked into the Royal Sonesta hotel. We had dinner reservations at great restaurants (Commander's Palace was one of the restaurants and I think the other night was at Emeril Lagasse's restaurat) and we had reservations for a Swamp Tour on an Airboat - amazing! I think we also went to the aquarium. Unbeknownst to us, it was also Southern Decadence weekend, which is often called "gay Mardi Gras." We were there, we didn't know it was happening, but the parades were going right by our hotel so . . .we went to the parades. We actually had a good time. We have found that sometimes when you travel . . there are unexpected things that happen . . .and sometimes you just roll with it.

What about you? What is a memorable Valentine's Day (doesn't have to be a date!) in your life? Or have you been on a fun date? Or have you been traveling . . .and things weren't exactly as you planned, but you rolled with it?

Love God Love People 

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God. 1 John 4:7

Super Duper Valentine Hodgepodge

It is Wednesday, so it must be time for a Hodgepodge of info! Thanks so much to Joyce at From This Side of the Pond for our weekly questions.

1. Did you watch the Super Bowl? Did your team win? What's your favorite game day snack for  whatever sport is happening? I watched the commercials haha! I did watch some of the game! We didn't have a team. We live in the south and SEC sports are huge so we don't have a pro team. Sometimes we like one or another - especially if an Auburn player has ended up on a team. We didn't make any game day snacks since it was just us, but I love Buffalo Chicken dip -- actually, I love most dips. Our kids love wings and boiled peanuts! We served neither when they were growing up and BOTH of our kids love them!! Did y'all see the He Gets Us commercial? Whether you agree with them or not, it is cool that Jesus got mentioned! Oh my goodness - I keep coming back to add more to this answer. The "I am somebody" commercial just made me cry!!!!

2. What's your 'superpower'? I don't think I have any super powers! Mark and I are very hospitable, but I've never heard of that superpower haha! 

3. Will you do anything special on Valentine's Day? If so do share. Any thoughts on/about this particular holiday? Share a favorite verse or quote relating to love. Our lives have been so topsy turvy that we haven't even talked about V-Day! I sent some treats to all three granddaughters via their parents yesterday. We are going to our neighborhood supper club on Saturday night. I actually bought myself some tulips today!!

4. Are you a fan of the rom-com genre? If so what's one of your favorites? If you're not a movie go-er then what about a book you love that features a great love story? How about a favorite love song? I do enjoy a good rom-com! Sometimes I will watch one when Mark is at the farm. I love The Proposal! It is a cute movie. I also love Pretty Woman. Have you ever read Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers? It is not your traditional fictional love story. It is based on the book of Hosea from the Bible and it is soooo good!

5. Let's get creative...write an acrostic using the word L-O-V-E. 

L is for the Love He gives.

O is for Over the top grace poured out

V is because that Love and Grace is aVailable for 

Everyone

I know that isn't a true acrostic but it is what popped into my head . . .so it is what I typed!!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I love Snoopy!

Weekend in Reverse!

Why is it a weekend in reverse? Because tonight -- I'm lazy! I loaded the photos and they loaded in reverse order! It is Sunday evening and I'm sitting in my recliner with my feet propped up and I am hopefully done for the day!

This morning, we went to church - I worked and Mark went to worship. Our Bishop preached in our traditional services and he did an amazing job. I had the worship service pulled up on my phone while I was working. In between worship services, I taught Sunday School. Did I tell y'all that one of the young couples classes asked if they could join our class for one month? For the month of February, we are a combo class of folks in their 50's, 60's, and 70's PLUS about 10 couples in their 30's who all have young children. We are having so much fun!! We meet in one of the largest rooms in the church and we have filled it to the brim the last two weeks.

On my way home from church, I stopped at the Pig to pick up a couple of things I forgot when I ordered groceries and I ordered some lunch from their deli. After Mark and I ate, we took a nap. I wasn't kidding when I said we were tired.

After our naps, we both rode our stationary bikes and I meal prepped for Tuesday night (Young Professionals) by cooking four pounds of ground beef and making two Firecracker Casseroles.

I didn't get to see these cuties today but our daughter sent me this picture they took before church. I bought the girls dresses at our church consignment sale. They fit perfectly.

On Saturday night, we walked across the street and had a beverage with our neighbors and she had purchased three different kinds of soup from Costco . . .so we had a bowl of soup. The laughter, beverage, fellowship, and soup were much needed and appreciated.

Why? Our sister-in-law died this past week and her funeral service was on Saturday in Cullman, which is about an hour north of us. The Hoover Fire Department came through for our family for a second time this week. Mark and his sister, Susie, met at Bill's house yesterday and got him dressed. The FD came and carried him from the house to the car and helped load him. Mark chauffeured Bill to Cullman with Susie riding in the back seat. When they arrived at the funeral home, our brother-in-law Bob bearhugged Bill out of the car and into the wheelchair. He was able to make it through part of the visitation and almost all of the service. None of our side of the family went to the graveside. Our daughter and son-in-law were driving up from Pike Road (an hour and 15 minutes south of us) and they stopped at our house for a bathroom break and I rode to Cullman with them. After the service, I rode back to Birmingham with my brother-in-law, Bob. It was a very long day. We are all thankful that his friend and the FD were able to get him to the nursing home earlier this week and then they were able to help Mark and Susie.

I did get to do ONE fun thing this weekend. There is a women's event, Sacred Studio, at a local Presbyterian Church. My other two sister-in-laws and I have attended several times. They didn't have it last year and we were literally counting down the days until we could register this year . . .and we did . . .and we were so excited about the classes we were each going to take. We all three were able to attend on Friday night. I went to a wreath making class.

Here is the finished product. I love how it looks.

Here is an up close look right before I left the workshop to head home.

This is what the room looked like when I arrived. I only want to say one thing -- the folks in my class weren't that friendly toward me. They were talking to each other but because I was an "outsider" . . .Only one person actually had a short conversation with me.

The event begins with a dinner and worship music and a speaker. I thought the tablecloths and centerpieces were beautiful.

Everyone is given a nice bag that has a booklet with spaces to fill in while the speaker talks, a pen, and a Bible highlighter. It is a really nice event. I'm sad to have missed the two workshops yesterday, but we went where we were most needed.

What did you do this weekend?

Old and Stolen Sunday Stealing

I sure hope that Bev over at Sunday Stealing is ok. She blogged that she would be taking the month of December off and would be back in January . . .and she hasn't been back. 

I dug back through some of her old blogs and found these Sunday Stealing questions which were stolen from Anyhow blog quite a few years ago.

1. Do you believe in seeing a rainbow after the rain? I'm not sure what "believing" in seeing a rainbow means. I think of a rainbow as a promise from God. I love seeing rainbows.

2. If you have a dream come true, what would it be? Great question -- are we going in the direction of "peace on earth" or a fun trip around the world. 

3. Do you believe in eternity love? My husband and I have been married for almost 41 years but I'm just not sure about "eternity" love in  human form. I do love my husband and he loves me but there are some days we don't like each other. I think God loves me in a way that has no end and he loves me unconditionally even when I screw up.

4. What feeling do you love most? I love when one of our granddaughters comes running to me with arms wide open saying "Graaaannnn!"

5. What feeling do you hate the most? I dislike feeling jealous. I don't like it when I get angry for no reason . . .or for a reason which I have blown up in my head. I dislike feeling ignored in a group.

6. Do you cherish every single friendship of yours? I deeply cherish my/our close friendships. We feel so blessed to be in a circle of friends that truly loves and cares for each other. I might not cherish some of the next layer of friends enough.

7. Do you believe in God? I do - very much.

8. Who cares for you most? Are you asking about who cares for me most on this earth? I guess that would be Mark and our kids?

9. What do you think is the most important thing in your life? See my answer to #7 -- my relationship with God is very important to me and next would be our relationships.

10. What emotion do you like to show? JOY!!

11. If you have something troubling you, what do you do? I worry about it. I talk it over with a close friend. Some things I talk over with Mark. I pray about it. I try to fix it.

12. Who do you admire most? I think I admire our friends who have bravely fought battles with cancer - some have won the battle here on earth and some have not.

13. Who did you last chat with in a chat room? As outdated as this question sounds to me, I actually have to "chat" online with fellow classmates. We have to write something and post it and then we have to comment on at least two other posts and the comments can't be "nice post."

14. What kind of person do you think the one we stole this meme from is? I have no idea.

15. What color did you use to dye your hair? I still dye my hair. It was much darker naturally and I'm blonde now.

16. Why are you doing this meme? Memes help me take a moment to write. They provide great prompts.

17. What do you do when you're moody? I close in on myself or I sometimes snap at someone else.

18. At which age do you wish to or did you, get married? When Mark and I married, I was 25 -- almost 26 and he was 30 -- almost 31.

19. If today is the last day of your life, what will you do? I'm going to call all of my family and friends and we are going to have some time together!!

20. Who is the person you trust the most? I trust Mark, of course, but I have one friend with whom I can share ANYTHING.

21. Last time you smiled? I just smiled thinking about my friend in the answer above! I try to smile a lot.

22. What are you listening to right now? The laundry room is right beside our kitchen and I'm sitting at the island typing this so I can hear clothes tumbling in the dryer.

23. Who was the last person you saw in your dream? Linda and Kevin Smith -- I need to text her and tell her they were in my dream.

24. Are you talking to someone while doing this? Mark has walked through the kitchen several times and we've exchanged a comment or two.

25. Do you walk with your eyes open or closed? The majority of time, I walk with my eyes open - I'm chuckling as I type this!!

26. Is there a quote you live by? Love God! Love People! All people! Everyone is my neighbor. 

27. Do you want someone you cannot have? Nope.

28. Who always makes you laugh? Crazy cat or dog videos always make me laugh!!

29. What was the worst idea you've had this week? I'm sure I've had some bad ideas this week, but at this moment . . .I have moved on. I hope they don't come back to haunt me hahaha!

30. Do you speak another language other than English? Hablo muy poco Español, pero no muy bien. I took almost enough Spanish back in the early 80's for a minor . . .but have forgotten most of it. I sure do wish I had kept it up.

 

The First Week of February Hodgepodge!

 

I am joining up with Joyce and friends for the Wednesday Hodgepodge. Joyce writes the questions and we answer them and then "visit" each other!

Thanks to so many of you for praying for our family. Our son is out of the hospital and had a visit with his surgeon today and is on the mend.

I'm writing this on Tuesday night and our sister-in-law, Rebecca, went home to Jesus today. Mark's brother, Bill, has been bed ridden since Thanksgiving week with his Parkinson's and Lymphoma but a friend of his . . .had a friend with a van . . .and the friend contacted the Hoover Fire Department. The Fire Department met the friend at Bill's house and helped get him out of the house and load him into the van. They drove an hour north to the nursing home where Rebecca was moved about a week ago (after her serious fall). Bill was able to tell her it was ok to go on and even though she wasn't awake and couldn't speak, Bill's friend thinks she knew they were there. Bill was holding her hand when she took her last breath. The Hoover Fire Department told the friend to let them know when they arrived back at the house . . .and they would meet them and help get him back in. We are thankful for Bill's friend who evidently felt a huge nudge from the Holy Spirit and acted on it. She was in considerable pain from all of the cancer in her body so we know she is now pain free.

Rebecca is on the left, Alice in the middle (she is married to Mark's identical twin - George), and me -- looks like this was back in 2003!

1. What area of your life feels like you're stuck in a Groundhog's Day loop, doing the same thing over and over? Does it bother you or is that just how life is in this particular season? See info above about sick family members . . .rinse and repeat. We lost Mark's mom in June, my sister in November, our sister-in-law in February, Mark's brother has Parkinson's and Lymphoma, and our son had major gut surgery. We've been in a weird season for the last few years.

2. Something that makes your heart skip a beat? When Mark has been away and I first see him . . .my heart always skips a beat!

3. Do you wear your heart on your sleeve or are you more of a closed book? Elaborate. I'm not sure. I think I would need someone else to answer that about me. I'm not a crier - especially in public. I do show my displeasure.

4. According to Prevention Magazine, these are 25 of the best foods for heart health-

wild salmon, sardines, liver, walnuts, almonds, chia seeds, oatmeal, blueberries, coffee, red wine, green tea, soy milk, dark chocolate, raisins, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, whole grains, apples, oranges, grapefruit, avocado, avocado oil, olive oil 

Which five do you include in your diet most often? Are there any foods on the list you simply cannot abide? 

We have fresh (frozen) salmon in the freezer and Mark wishes we would eat it every week. I just don't like it. I want to like it. I just don't. I've never eaten a sardine and I don't think I plan on trying them anytime soon. Mark loves fried chicken livers. I do not. I have eaten beef liver with gravy and onions (in the past -- not in at least 20 years). I eat walnuts, almonds, oatmeal, blueberries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, caulitflower, sweet potatoes, apples, oranges, avocado, and olive oil -- I actually eat most of those fairly often.

5. What was the last piece of furniture you bought? Is there a piece of furniture you need/want to purchase this year? I think the last piece we bought was the antique in our entry hall. I love this piece of furniture. Because our house burned, we did purchase quite a few pieces back in 2023. I want a small, but sturdy, rocking chair for my upstairs office. Right now, I have a "too big" teak rocker in the room for when Laura and her family come to visit.

6. Insert your own random thought here. On Monday, three co-workers and I stepped away from the office for a planning day. Some friends of ours have a "farmhouse" about 50 minutes south of town. They allowed us to camp out all day in their house and on their property. We worked hard all day, but it was really good to have a different view!

 

Week(end) Review

I'm adding in a couple of photos from last week, in addition to the weekend, because the photos are so cool!

Below is frozen fog. The photo was taken by my friend on her way to work. She actually pulled off the road into the parking lot of the old Tip Top Grill, which sits on the edge of the bluff. Instead of seeing down into the valley, you see a sea of frozen fog! It looks like a lake.

The next morning, I was riding the stationary bike upstairs and stepped out onto our top porch and snapped the sunrise. I am so thankful that his mercies are new every morning!!

Since I work on Sundays, I feel like our weekend begins on Thursday night. I've mentioned before that we have season tickets to a small local theater for opening night of each production. Dearly Beloved was so cute!! The entire play is set in the fellowship hall of a church where a wedding reception is to be held. It was well done!! Before the play, we met four of our closest friends for dinner at Urban Cookhouse. Actually, before dinner . . .I was working Lil' Lambs which is our huge consignment sale held twice a year at our church. 

Friday morning, Mark prepped a massive brisket to go on the smoker. Of course, it was pouring down rain.

He started the smoker inside the edge of the screen porch but was able to move it outside.

I had an appointment to get my roots covered and drove 45 minutes in the pouring rain.

While the color was processing, I sat in the massage chair. Ahhhh!

The reason Mark was smoking the brisket was because we were hosting our supper club Friday night.We've been together since 2004.

Here is what that brisket looked like at the end of the day! It was tender and delicious.

I love our dining room.

Everyone was chatting and eating appetizers in the kitchen.

We gathered together around the island and held hands while Mark asked the blessing and then we made our plates -- we provided the meat, one person provided the appetizer, another brought twice baked potatoes, another brought a salad with fresh picked lettuce, while one more brought dessert.

I love using our silver and don't use it often enough. Probably because you have to wash and dry every single piece by hand.

On Saturday, I met two close high school friends for lunch and we took zero photos. Kaye and Faye are identical twins and the three of us were roommates back when I met Mark. They were also in our wedding. We try to go to lunch a couple of times a year.

During the rest of Saturday, I did a LOT of laundry, worked on homework, and wrote a Sunday School lesson to teach. One of the younger (30's) Sunday School classes is going to join our older (60-75) class for the month of February. They asked if they could come and soak up some wisdom (not sure we have any hahaha!) and we asked if they would share their youth with us! The combo class could be 75 people. I'm used to teaching in front of 40-50. I'm writing this part of the post on Sunday morning and I'm nervous. (note added at 8:42 p.m. -- we had a room FULL of folks this morning and I think the lesson went well - people discussed which is always the goal!!)

I did homework this afternoon and tried to take a nap - didn't happen. We went to check on our son and his family. He is home from the hospital and he looks so much better. He is slowly healing!! We took separate vehicles to their house and Mark headed on to the farm and I came home to do more homework.

What did you do this weekend??