Springing into the Hodgepodge

 

1. It's officially spring in the northern hemisphere. Does it feel like spring in your part of the world? If you're in the southern hemisphere it's officially autumn where you live. Does the weather say autumn? Which do you prefer-spring or autumn? Why? Yes! It is definitely spring in Alabama! On Monday, March 16 . . .it snowed. On Saturday, March 21 . . .it was 85 degrees! Everything is blooming. I even saw some Dogwood blossoms this morning! Pollen is everywhere. My black Lincoln Nautilus is yellow - seriously! Just this morning Mark and I were talking about spring . . . actually because it was in the low 40's this morning - fickle weather! Anyway . . .I love spring, but I have to spend most of it indoors even though I take two allergy shots per week, a Zyrtec everyday, a Singulair every day, and use a full blown saline wash twice a day. I have severe allergies. Spring and Fall are both beautiful in Alabama!

2. What's your favorite thing about spring? I love seeing all of the new growth - it is like seeing HOPE personified. The tiny leaves are on the trees and they are all shades of green and the flowers are bursting forth daily. Literally! When we drove to our daughter's home on Friday, the Wisteria was not blooming in our neighborhood. When we drove home on Saturday, it was blooming!

3. Spring into action, spring in your step, spring to life, spring to one's feet...which spring idiom currently applies to your life in some way? Explain. I feel like I have a little more spring in my step. Since late July 2025, I've been tracking every bite of food that has entered my mouth. I'm actually about four pounds from my goal weight. I started this journey in 2017 and did really well, but all of the sickness and deaths in our family threw me for a loop. Thank goodness, I didn't gain it all back. I just had to lose some plus a little more!

4. Which spring food from this list is your favorite? What's a dish you like that includes your favorite spring ingredient? 

asparagus, strawberries, salad greens like mesclun, artichokes, spinach, eggs, peas, spring onions - I love fresh Alabama strawberries - they taste like little sugar bombs on your tongue! I like to eat them sliced in a bowl or on top of a bowl of oatmeal or mixed with some fat free Greek yogurt. Mark's favorite recipe would be strawberry shortcake. It would need to be homemade shortcake using his momma's recipe haha!

5. What's one task on your spring cleaning list? Do you actually have a list? I always have a running list of things I need to do. I do not specifically have a spring cleaning list. I need to clean out our laundry room before Saturday night! We are getting a new dryer on Friday so maybe I can do it after they deliver!

6. Insert your own random thought here. Speaking of spring cleaning, I just cleaned my office. It took two days. My office is the repository for everyone's crap. Excuse me, I meant to say everyone's lovely things! I filled a giant trashcan yesterday. Seriously, I borrowed one from the custodial staff!! I had to wear a mask due to the dust. Our offices don't get cleaned unless we clean them. I told my co-worker that using a windex wipe on your desk should not make mud puddles haha! We have a guest pastor flying in from London on Thursday night. He will preach on Palm Sunday (in three services) and then he will preach the Holy Week noon services next week (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday). I hated for anyone to see my office so I tried to make it more presentable!

Silly Goose is Two!

On Friday, Mark and I headed south to our daughter's home to celebrate our youngest granddaughter's second birthday. We arrived and waited in their driveway until they pulled in from after school. The girls were happy to see us!! Our son-in-law had previous dinner plans, so we headed into the little town with Laura and the girls to eat dinner. The bait shop below is the same bait shop that Mark frequented in the summers when he was a kid! It has been there a long time! Mark's aunt had a second home on a lake nearby and they spent many summer hours at that house.

We could not have ordered more perfect weather. We made it to Coach's Corner - one of the local restaurants. We were told it would be about a 20 minute wait, but there were lots of things to see . . . and we only waited about 5 minutes!

Look at that little nugget - she is a cutie pie!

This is the view from the restaurant deck.

We played tic tac toe and some pictures were drawn while we waited.

Look at that little hand on her mama's hand!!

When we got back to the house, we headed straight to the playroom.

Laura had sent a link to us for this kitchen. Since the paper had already been torn off most of the package -- who did that?? - we decided to go ahead and put it together. It took three grown adults to wrangle two kids and to put this thing together!

Finally, we all went to bed . . .I slept with our daughter, Mark slept on the bottom bunk bed, and Scott slept on the sofa - they don't have an extra room so we made it work!

Saturday morning dawned bright and early. It was another gorgeous day. Throughout the day, there was a lot of trampoline jumping.

There was lots of swinging. Yes . . .she has a ball under her dress. It was her baby. Who knows why? None of us! haha!

I love our daughter and son-in-law's dining room. Laura is talented and has a good eye!

In addition to the outside swing, lots of swinging happened inside, too.

The photo below is so funny to me - Mark and Uncle Bob reclining!

After a lunch of grilled hotdogs, we had birthday cupcakes.

Let me just say . . .there was a lot of icing hahaha!

They have an amazing back yard and I looked outside and the grown men were playing tee ball!

I didn't get a photo, but our son was also doing flips - full flips on the trampoline. Mark kept saying that he was going to go do that . . .which he could have, I'm sure. I'm really glad he didn't!!

The silly goose is two and she was celebrated by family and friends. She is beginning to say more words and she is so smart! She is also very opinionated haha!

Have You Ever Sunday Stealing

 

Welcome to Sunday Stealing. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves!

This week's Sunday source is Minnesota Mom, who loves baking (especially cookies). She stole this meme from Esther, whose blog is no longer available, so the trail has gone cold.

These questions require just a yes or no, but you can answer at length if you're in the mood. The choice is yours! 

Have You Ever ...

1) Skipped school? I was a good student and until my Senior year, I was a "good girl." After my mom died, I did have a period of time where I was more rebellious. I remember skipping a class - I don't know if I ever skipped a whole day of school.

2) Lettered in a school sport? I did not letter in a sport, but I was in the Color Guard.

3) Made a prank phone call? We made too many prank phone calls! We used to call and ask people if their refrigerator was running. When they answered "yes," we would tell them they should hurry up and catch it and then die laughing and hang up. Silly!

4) Paid for a meal with coins? I have paid for fast food with coins, but never a meal in a real restaurant.

5) Laughed until some sort of beverage came out of your nose? Yes! Yes, I have!

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

This Chick is TEN!

Our oldest granddaughter celebrated her 10th birthday this past weekend. I told her that I remember when they put her in my arms (after she was born), I was amazed that I could fall in love that fast - instantly! She is smart. She loves math! She is funny. She is very curious. She loves to craft. She loves her Pops! She loves her chickens!

So . . .I went with a chicken theme and I think it turned out so cute!

The chickens were the "party favors."

I used brightly colored Easter wreaths for the nests. I found cute chicken decorations on Amazon.

I still had out some of my St. Patrick's Day decor, too. She loves hamburgers so gues what was on the menu? Hamburgers with lots of toppings!

We brought in the folding table and put a plastic cloth on it, plus one chicken. We brought the folding chairs in from the garage and we had 12 around the dining table and two at the small table.

Her favorite dessert is "Uncle" Wynn's banana pudding, so he brought a big one and I purchased a few cupcakes. I was glad I did because her friend didn't like banana pudding.

Wynn made a beautiful banana pudding. He loves to make desserts and is a good dessert maker/baker.

Our daughter painted the "This Chick is Ten" banner - I just realized that I didn't have the top corners taped down!

Chickens were everywhere - even hanging from the chandelier. Friend, birthday girl, middle granddaughter all in a row!

This little nugget sat at the smaller table with her momma. She is such a cutie. She had surgery on Wednesday - tubes in her ears and her adenoids "shaved" - which means they lasered them! She bounced back by the next day.

Here is the cute 10 year old!

The oldest granddaughter holding the middle one . . .

This picture is my favorite -- our daughter-in-law on the left and our daughter on the right along with all three granddaughters!!

There were presents to open . . .

"Uncle" Wynn will be taking her to her first concert!

The little one put that gift bag on her shoulder and waved bye bye to all of us!

Pops bought a "grabber" for her to have as her own, because she loves his so much!  hahaha!

The little one was playing with Uncle Bob.

We even put candles into the birthday banana pudding!

It was a successful birthday lunch and I think she felt our love!!

We are so proud of her and love her so much!

 

Achoo! Hodgepodge!

 

1. St. Patrick's Day lands on March 17th. Do you believe in luck? Are there things you do thinking they'll  bring good luck or things you avoid because they're considered bad luck? I don't think I believe in "luck" per se! I have been known to say, "good luck" to people. I actually do not like for a black cat to run across the street in front of me. I also like to take down my Christmas tree before the new year. My son quotes someone from The Office -- "I'm not superstitious, but I am a little stitious."

2. Forest-lime-sage-mint-olive-emerald...what's your favorite shade of green? I think Emerald - the yellow greens are not my friend, but deep green is one of my best colors to wear.

3. In Ireland the meal on this day is often a hearty beef or lamb stew served with colcannon (mashed potato mixed with cabbage and leeks). In the US corned beef and cabbage is the more typical St. Patty's Day meal. Will you/did you mark the day with one of these dishes? Baked-fried-roasted-mashed...what's your favorite way to eat a potato? I don't like corned beef. I need to get someone who is a great cook to make some for me because I might like a "good" corned beef. I do love lamb or beef stew. We are hosting the Young Adults on Tuesday night and we are having Taco Tuesday on St. Patrick's Day haha! I love french fries. I would eat them every day if they didn't make me fat! I do enjoy a baked potato or a roasted potato or mashed potato . . .or potato soup. I love potatoes, but don't eat them every day.

4. What color of the rainbow best represents your personality/mood today? Tell us why. Rainbows make me smile! I love to spot one in the sky. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet - which one am I today? I am all pink today because it is Laetare Sunday - a "mini" celebration during Lent. The color for the day is "rose." I have on a pink dress and pink earrings.

5. Which 'lucky' quote resonates with you. Elaborate. 

 'Luck is not something you can mention in the presence of self-made men.' E.B. White 

'Diligence is the mother of good luck." Benjamin Franklin 

'Luck is where opportunity meets preparation.' Seneca - I am going to choose this one. I had to look up "Who is Seneca?" Now I know!

'Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect.' Ralph Waldo Emerson 

6. Insert your own random thought here. Spring is springing all over Alabama. Our cars are yellow. The trees and plants are showing new growth. Achoo!

Sunday Stealing by Thursday Thunks

 

Welcome to Sunday Stealing. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves!

Once again we return to  Thursday Thunks, which is giving us more questions. Alas, the thunking stopped back in 2011.

Thursday Thunks

1. It's the middle of the night. There isn't another car in sight. You're stuck at a red light that just won't change. How long do wait until you run it? I would wait a reasonable amount of time, but at some point . . .if the light didn't change . . .I would look around and make sure no one was watching . . .and I would run it.

2. What's your favorite recipe? Oh my goodness - I cook a lot. My favorite recipes are always the easiest. My favorite recipe might be "going out to eat." Seriously, I love my lasagne recipe which was originally Pioneer Woman's recipe and I have tweaked it over the years. Most people love the Brown Sugar Brownies that our family makes. The recipe was my mother-in-law's and I have probably made 1,000 batches over the years.

3. When did you last ask yourself, "What the hell was I thinking?" I thought that just last week!! I think I thought it more than once! I was thinking it about school - heavy load for Spring B semester. I was also thinking about it after drinking ONE cocktail at Brock's Gap Brewing Company on Thursday night! I borrowed this photo from here, but my drink looked very similar to this one. Her recipe sounds great and I am going to try it soon!

photo cred here

4. Have you ever had a mole removed? If yes, where on your body was it? I'm trying to think if I've ever had an actual mole removed or not. In the fall of 2024, I had a cancerous spot removed from the very top of my ear! They didn't get it all and had to go back in and scrape it after it healed. The surgeon did a great job - you cannot tell where he slit it open (in an H shape!) and put in a lot of stitches! I've had some other spots removed on my legs and one on my chest and several on my face, but I don't think any were actual moles.

5. What website do you faithfully check (other than email)? I check the Samford website every day for class information/assignments/etc. I check the weather almost every day. I usually check Facebook and Instagram. I try to visit my blog friends (all of you!).

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

I Trust that It Is Wednesday Since It Is Hodgepodge Time!

 

1. Are you a naturally trusting person? Is trust built on logic or 'gut instinct'? Does everyone deserve a second chance? Elaborate. Wow! We are jumping into the deep questions early haha! I do not think I am a "naturally trusting person." I think that comes from having been hurt in the past. I think trust is often built over time and has a mixture of both logic and gut instinct. According to the grace of God, everyone deserves a second chance. As a human, I sometimes struggle. If you hurt my feelings, yes - you deserve a second chance. If you abuse a child . . . I'm not so sure (personally). On some level, I think everyone deserves a second chance, but I am human and I have human emotions and feelings . . .and there are people that I would have a hard time granting a second chance. I'm glad God is a God of second chances. I'm also glad that I don't have to make those decisions for everyone!

2. 'Beware the Ides of March'...March 15th on the ancient Roman calendar, these words were made famous by William Shakespeare in his play Julius Caesar.  Caesar was assassinated on March 15th 44 B.C. Have you read any Shakespeare? If so, do you have a favorite? Have you ever been to Rome? I've read some Shakespeare - in high school and then again in a college lit class. The last one I read was Othello and we watched an online version of the play. It is dark, but for some reason I sort of "enjoyed" it. I do love some of the lines in Macbeth! We have been to Rome -- in June of 2022. It was HOT that year. I loved the catacombs haha!

drinks at the rooftop bar of our hotel in Rome

Look at our hot faces as we stand in front
of the Colosseum.

Waiting to hear the Pope speak in
direct sunlight!

Mollie and I - you can tell we are hot!

3. Do you like a Caesar salad? If given the choice between a garden/house salad or Caesar which do you order? Anchovies or no? What's your favorite salad dressing? I do love a Caesar salad, but I never order anchovies. I think anchovies are mashed up in the dressing . . .right? I like several salad dressings - ranch, Balsamic, Citrus Vinaigrette, etc. I usually choose a light dressing (less calories) when at all possible.

4. Where do you typically work (or blog if that's easier) at home? Do you have a dedicated home office space? Are you happy with that space? I tend to spend a lot of space at our kitchen island because it is in the heart of our home.

But I do have an office upstairs that I use, too.

5. Snow drops, daffodils, lenten roses, crocus, hyacinth, or early tulips...what's your favorite early Spring flower? I actually love Forsythia - they make me happy! Daffodils are always pretty, too, and I get excited when they are blooming.

forsythia by the pond in our neighborhood

a blurry old photo - I think these may be
jonquils rather than daffodils - they
were very fragrant.

6. Insert your own random thought here. I know that you will be so glad when I graduate from college in May of 2027 so that I will stop talking about my classes. This semester I am taking a New Testament class. Everyone keeps saying, "It should be easy. You should know that from teaching adult Sunday School for over 30 years." Well . . .I haven't been reading the Bible and the history of the Bible in order to spit it back out on an exam. It is a different type of reading! The other class is Adolescence to Death (basically). It is the second part of the Human Development class - the class I took in Spring A covered conception through older childhood.      P.S. On an entirely different note . . .We had intense thunder storms on Monday night with unbelievable wind/wind gusts/thunder and lightning. It was crazy and I was driving home in it around 8:00 p.m. It was dark and the rain was so intense you couldn't see the lines on the road!