Hodgepodge

It is Wednesday so I'm joining up with Joyce at From This Side of the Pond and friends to answer the Hodgepodge questions! I would love to hear your answers!!

1. What do you think has remained the same about you your whole life? How has your perception of yourself changed over time? My smile has remained the same! My belief in Jesus has strengthened but is still intact. The way I live out my faith is definitely different, and my opinions have changed. I grew up with fairly judgemental Christianity and I now try hard to err on the side of grace. I’ve never had a large amount of self-confidence and that is the same.

2. What was the first thing you learned how to cook? Do you prefer to cook or bake? I learned to cook a lot of red things first! My mom died when I was 15 and I later lived with my sister and her husband for a while since my daddy was working crazy hours. My job was to start supper when I came in from school. I made spaghetti and homemade vegetable soup and other “red” things until my brother-in-law said, “please don’t make anything red tonight!” I remember the first time I made Chicken Divan. I was living in a one-bedroom apartment and had invited a date over for dinner. I prefer to cook, I think, though I do enjoy baking. Does making cheese straws count as cooking or baking? I tend to think of sweets when baking but we bake bread, right? So I guess making cheese straws counts as baking.

3. What are some of your current priorities in this season of life? Elaborate. I’ve always heard that our priorities should be Jesus, Others, Yourself (JOY). I’m trying to keep Jesus first, but I am pretty focused on finishing school and my job so I may have moved myself into second position which is not good. Dang, I hate when these questions make me think!! Hahaha! I do try to put others before myself but I did that for so many years and am not trying to focus a little on myself and my own growth. I am trying to focus on relationships -- like when all the kids and grandkids were going to the pool on Saturday afternoon, I chose pool and then had to scramble when writing my paper.

4. How much time do you spend on your hair each day or, put another way, what's your hair care routine? Do you get it cut regularly or just whenever the mood strikes? Do you go to the same stylist every time? Do you tell your stylist everything? Any other beauty treatments you indulge in throughout the year? I go visit Terrie at Seventh Heaven every 4-5 weeks. I have my hair trimmed slightly and my roots covered up. I wash and condition my hair every day when I shower and then I blow it dry and use a straightener to smooth it out. If I shower and am staying home, I let it air dry. Terrie and I talk about all sorts of things when I’m in her chair. I love to get pedicures and try to get one every three weeks or so at a place near our house. I rarely get a manicure because my hands are in dishwater and cooking, etc. so often that I mess them up. Does a massage count as a beauty treatment? I try to get a massage about 6 or 7 times a year.

5. What is the most awe-inspiring place you've visited? Ireland is beautiful. Driving from Italy to Austria/Germany is gorgeous and we saw amazing scenery. Many of the places in Israel have been commercialized (as in there is a church or mosque built on top) that I didn’t feel as much awe BUT when we sat on some of the original steps of the temple . . .where Jesus and Mary and Joseph had walked . . . that was pretty awe-inspiring.

6. Insert your own random thought here. We like crime, CIA, FBI, and mystery TV shows. We’ve watched Bosch, Bones, Criminal Minds, Chuck, Absentia (that one was tough), Reacher, The Americans, Mr. and Mrs. Smith. We tried Slow Horses and couldn’t get into it. We were so desperate for something to watch that we recently watched Palm Royale. Any suggestions on something new we can watch?? We have Hulu, Prime, and Youtube TV.

Weekend (plus a few other days) in review!

Y'all have so graciously offered your sympathy and prayers in the recent death of my mother-in-law. Thank you! She died on the 12th (my brother-in-law's birthday) and my birthday was on the 14th. Our celebrations looked a little different this year.

Mark and I had made reservations at Fleming's and had invited our friends, Lu and Dave, to go with us to celebrate on my actual birthday. I asked Mark if he wanted to cancel and reschedule but he didn't. It was a nice reprieve. When we arrived, there was a birthday card on the table.

along with birthday confetti sprinkled around.

I had a Lemon Blueberry something or other drink that was delicious! Mark had a couple of Old Fashions; Dave had a Moscow Mule; and I can't remember what Lu drank!

I've been trying to walk for a few minutes every morning while the days are so long. The last few days it has been too hot at 5:00 a.m. to walk. Isn't that crazy?

My brother-in-law created this picture. None of his boys are in it and our youngest granddaughter wasn't born yet. I just realized we are missing a sister-in-law, too. Sweet grandmother was right in the center.

Y'all know we host a group every Tuesday night, right? Five of them are on a mission trip to Costa Rica this week. They have been so sweet to text us along the way -- as they were leaving Birmingham, arriving in Costa Rica, and after worship on Sunday.

The rest of the group will gather at our house tomorrow night and we will do some in-town mission projects. Y'all . . .our whole group did such nice things for us last week. They bought a huge hydrangea for our yard and gave us a large gift certificate to a local restaurant plus gave a donation of altar flowers to the church all in memory of Mark's mom.

Mark's mom loved flowers and was the first chairperson of our flower guild at church. The original 12 (at the beginning it was all ladies - now there are men/boys!) women gathered last week and made flower arrangements for the altar and for the restrooms and hallways. The church looked beautiful.

While most everyone was still in town, Mark's sister hosted everyone at their house on Friday night. Our  nephew who is a doctor in New York City had to fly back, but everyone else was here. We all took something to share. Our nephew's girlfriend made a couple of charcuterie boards that were lovely.

We had homemade guac and chips and pasta salad and Asian slaw and baked beans and fruit and ribs, smoked chicken, and smoked pork. There was banana pudding and strawberry shortcake. Good beverages were served but Mark had a procedure on Friday morning and was unable to drink so I didn't drink either.

Thomas is the youngest nephew and he was at the kid's table with our oldest granddaughters. He was such a good sport and played with them a lot.

Saturday morning brought snuggles with our youngest granddaughter. Just FYI - she had just projectile spit up ALL over me and I literally had to change clothes. It didn't bother her one bit!

Yes, I was using a dish towel as a burp cloth because it is what Mark grabbed when she spit up all over us both! They actually worked well as burp cloths and I cloroxed them after!

Look at that sweet sleeping baby!

After lunch, our son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter #1 came over to visit and we loaded up the golf cart and headed to the pool. We actually had to make two trips going and coming! It was so hot that we all stayed in the pool almost the whole time.

There was some shoulder standing going on!

She wanted me to take her picture!

And the she did this and wanted another picture!

The younger one was being thrown into the water by her Uncle Bobo (Uncle Glenn) and her mama. She LOVED it!! Mark, our children, and our grandchildren are all strong swimmers. I'm so happy they are.

Our daughter and her family headed home after the 3:00 p.m. bottle so they could time their life accordingly. I remember those days. I immediately started working on my paper for American Lit. I had a little buddy in my office with me. He was sleeping on the job.

I worked on Sunday and went to Sunday School and facilitated. Our pastors have been doing this amazing summer sermon series where they are each telling their story. I decided to mirror that in our class so I lined up different class members for every Sunday in June and July to tell their story. The guy who was supposed to speak on Sunday has covid and was really sick. I had to punt. I got everyone to stand up and move around and find a partner that wasn't related to them or their best friend. They had to introduce themselves and answer a couple of easy get to know you questions. Then everyone had to find a new partner and answer two more easy questions. Then I asked everyone to sit down with one partner (not related or best friend) and I gave them a series of three questions to answer together. What is your favorite scripture or one that has been especially meaningful in your life; when have you struggled with your faith; when have you seen God at work in your life. I wrapped it up by talking about the fact they had all begun to think about their story by answering those questions. We all have a story and our story is intermingled with God's story and possibly with other people. Everyone seemed to enjoy it (except one person).

We've always eaten Sunday lunch at my mother-in-law's house . . .and our sweet son and our daughter-in-law, granddaughter #1, and a friend met us for lunch at Mudtown. We may eventually start hosting here. We will see. I worked on my paper some more and then I took a day of vacation on Monday (today) and finished my paper. I submitted it around lunchtime today. After lunch, we tried to take a nap (couldn't go to sleep), I rode my stationary bike, we ran to Walmart, I prepped food for tomorrow night's YA dinner, and I had time to blog!!

What has been going on in your life?

Sunday Stealing Stolen from SwapBot

I'm joining up with the Sunday Stealing gang!! Stolen from SwapBot

1. Are you double jointed? One of my thumbs is double jointed.

2. Are you ticklish? A little.

3. Cookies, cakes, or donuts? I don't eat sweets, but if I did, my choice would be icing!

4. Did you go to prom?  I did not. I had a boyfriend, but we decided not to go. I regret that. It is not a huge regret, but I still wish I had gone.

5. Do you bite your nails? NO!

6. Do you enjoy dancing? I've never been a good dancer. After a beverage or two, Mark and I have been known to dance a litt.e

7. Do you forgive easily? It depends. I try to forgive because not forgiiving hurts me more than the other person. There are some things you never forget. You definitely should forgive, but some wrongs don't need to be forgotten for self-preservation.

8. Do you prefer to bathe or shower? Shower! We actually had a large tub ripped out of our bathroom during the re-build.

old bathroom with tub

new bath without tub

9. Does your name have any special meaning? My mother always said jokingly that I was named after the Mona Lisa. I just looked it up and Lisa is "God is my oath." This meaning comes from the Hebrew name Elisheba, which was the name of Aaron's wife in the Old Testament. Elisheba was later abbreviated to Elizabeth, and Lisa is a diminutive form of Elizabeth. I wonder . . . .my mom's middle name was Elizabeth and that is the first name of one of my sisters, even though she goes by her middle name. I wonder if my mom knew that Lisa was a diminutive form of Elizabeth. That would mean I'm named after her.

10. Have you ever gone camping? I have been camping at least two times. Two times when single - one was with our singles group from church and we camped at Mt. Cheaha. Another time was with a guy I was dating (Murphy Seale - blast from the past - I wonder if he is still alive??) and I think we were in Chattanooga and we were there to watch a hang gliding competition.

11. Have you ever won something? I've won several things. When I was in my early 20's, I won a prize on the radio call in show. A limo picked me up at my apartment (along with a date) and took us to dinner and to the premiere of some movie. I do not remember what movie or what restaurant! I won a bottle of Pappy van Winkle for my hubby. I was first runner up in a beauty pageant! I won the bike rodeo when I was in elementary school - you had to ride your bike around all sorts of obstacles. I won a couple of things when I was a kid/teenager.

12. What did you last eat? I ate two pieces of Keto bread with peanut butter and a tiny drizzle of honey.

13. What's your longest relationship so far? Mark and I have been married for 40 years and dated for a couple before. I've been in a relationship with my sisters for 66 years :-). They are both older than I am. I've been in a relationship with our kids for almost 38 years! I still get together about once a year with my friends, Kaye and Faye, and we've known each other since elementary school. I am in Facebook relationships with people I've known since first grade or before.

14. Have you ever been on a diet? hahahaha! Have you ever read my blog? I'm always trying to eat healthier and lose weight.

15. Do you enjoy DIY or crafts? I do enjoy fun crafts!!

Home Again! Home Again! Jiggity Jig!

As I mentioned on my post earlier this week, my mother-in-law died last week and her interment and Memorial Service were on Wednesday of this week. That was only yesterday, yet it seems close and so very far away. We had a private family service at the graveside early yesterday morning. We were trying to beat the heat and we did. There was actually a slight breeze blowing if you could get under the tent and out of the sun. Here is a link to her obit. Please don't feel you need to read it, but please feel free to read it if you want.

Mark and I married back in 1984 and I know that my mother-in-law struggled with the fact that her first child to get married was marrying someone who had been married before. She was a preacher's kid and her immediate family had never known divorce. It wasn't easy for her at first but I do know this. She became my mother, just like she was Mark's. I'm not saying we agreed on everything. I'm not saying she didn't get irritated with me or I with her. She was my mother-in-law for 40 years. Of course, we didn't agree on everything. I do know this -- she loved me and I loved her.

She taught me so many things. She taught me how to bake. She taught me how to entertain. She and I discussed the Bible together. She was the mother of twins and I was not only married to one of those twins, but Mark and I became parents of twins. We talked about twin things a lot. If I was complaining about something or moaning and groaning, she would say, "Who is the mother?" Or she sometimes just reminded me that I was the mother. She also loved to tell us to "buck up." She felt firmly that things happened in life, but you still held your head high and continued forward. In the first 20 years of our marriage, she and I spent lots of time together. There is a town north of here and there used to be an outlet mall there. I cannot tell you how many times she and I drove up there and back in between dropping off my kids at school and time for me to get back in car pool line. I would be burning up the road between here and there. She loved to shop and could out shop me even when I was in my 30's. She bought our children a winter coat almost every year of their lives. When Laura's sorority had a Mother-Daughter brunch, Grandmother (what I called her after our children were born) rode down to Auburn with me. As she always taught us, we held back and didn't rush the buffet table. By the time we got to the table, there was not enough food left for a meal so as soon as the program was over, we went to Burger King! Speaking of food, she prepared lunch for the family every Sunday after church. She did this until 3 yeares ago. She was almost 96 when she broke her hip and had to stop cooking for us. We kept it up. We took over the ccooking and she thought she helped and she sat at the head of the table just like she always had. On Sunday before she died, she attended church. She recited the Lord's prayer. She ate lunch at the dining table with her family and she quickly went downhill and went back to sleep in the wee hours of Wednesday, the 12th, and woke up with Jesus. What a way to go. Over the years, she told stories and helped her children keep their stories alive. I told someone at work today that I heard the Winnebago story so many times that I felt like I was there! (they planned an elaborate vacation in a borrowed Winnebago and she had two weeks of clothes for her and my father-in-law, Harry, plus four kids. They were going out west and planned to be gone a month. They made it to Louisiana and the Winnebago caught on fire. They were stuck waiting on parts and finally made it home without going any further than Louisiana. The story goes that was the last vacation their daddy ever went on. It took her weeks to get the smoke smell out of all of those clothes.)

On Wednesday's blogpost, I shared the words our daughter wrote and shared on Facebook. She actually wrote even more and spoke at the Memorial Service and she did such a great job. Mark and I were so proud of her. She spoke on behalf of the grandchildren generation and here is what she said:

Good afternoon, My name is Laura Elliott Short and I am Susie’s oldest grandchild, well by one minute. 

Susie Elliott held many titles during her long life; daughter, sister, friend, wife, mother, aunt, but I think one of the titles she was proudest of was Grandmother, and in the last several years, Great-Grandmother. Grandmother, as we affectionately called her, had 6 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren and many more surrogate grandchildren who also called her grandmother because that is how she treated them, as if she really was their grandmother. 

Growing up, Glenn and I, and later Grace, were fortunate enough to live close to Grandmother and we were able to see her often. Through elementary school and even into middle school, Glenn and I would spend the night at Grandmother’s house about once a month. She would take us to the old Brookwood mall, and we would have Chick-fil-a for dinner and she would let us each pick out a toy from KB Toys. After that we would head back to her house to watch either The Shaggy Dog or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to wrap up the night. Every time as she was unlocking her door, she would look to Glenn and me and say “Home again, Home again, Jiggity Jig” and we knew we were home. 

Grandmother was always very proper, the picture of a true southern lady. I once got in trouble for putting the bottle of ketchup on the dining room table–the formal dining room was NOT the place for a plastic condiment bottle. But each summer when the Lengel boys would come visit, we got to picnic in the den. She had an old quilt whose sole purpose was for us to have picnics on when all the cousins were in town. I’m pretty sure the last time we had a picnic on that quilt most of us were well into our 20s.

Grandmother loved to cook, and she loved to feed people even more. There were 15 people in our immediate family, yet there was always room at the table for anyone who didn’t have a place to go. If there wasn’t room at the table, she would just add another table. One Easter, my cousin Thomas brought at least 10 hungry college kids for lunch and Grandmother welcomed each one of them with a hug and a smile. You were always welcome at Grandmother’s house. Going to her house always felt like going home. I’m pretty sure the Lengel boys’ favorite place to nap was on the rug in her den. Thomas used to always tell her to save his room for him, and she always had it ready for him or for anyone else who wanted to come home. 

Not only did Grandmother have 6 grandchildren but she also had three great-grandchildren. Emma and Evie loved playing at Great Grandmother’s house. Their favorite place to play was in her shoe closet- yes, the woman had a whole entire closet dedicated to shoes. She loved those girls fiercely and visits from them always brightened her day. 

Grandmother was always dressed to the nines. Her motto was that it was always better to be overdressed than underdressed which is probably why she had a whole closet dedicated to shoes in the first place. Once when I was growing up, she showed me a new pair of shoes she had bought. She told me that they were a size too big, but she bought them anyways. When I asked her why she would buy shoes that didn’t fit she simply replied because they matched her pocketbook. She said she would stuff tissues in them to make them fit. 

Grandmother was truly one of the greatest women that I have ever known. I know that when she got to Heaven she was greeted with open arms and the words “Well done good and faithful servant.” I also like to think that as she entered the gates of Heaven, she recited those words that she used to recite so many years ago, “Home again, home again, jiggity jig.”

Didn't she write beautiful words? Several things were funny to us and she was able to bring a little gentle humor and it was so welcome. Wednesday was a long day. As I said, it started at the cemetery. We then went to the church and had a two hour visitation. My feet were screaming after standing all morning in dress sandals. So many people came to pay their respects. One of our friends drove from Nashville just for the visitation and then had to leave and drive back. After the visitation, we had a minute or two break to run to the bathroom and one of our pastors prayed for us. We then went back into the sanctuary and filled multiple rows with family. The wife of one of Mark's first cousins flew in from Washington State on Tuesday for the service on Wednesday and then was flying right back home. My brother-in-law's two brothers flew in from Delaware to be with us. All of the grandchildren (our kids and spouses, Mark's sister Susie's three sons and one girlfriend, Mark's twin brother's daughter and her fiance were all able to be present which I felt was a miracle in and of itself. Our oldest granddaughter who is 8 was there and it was her first experience losing someone and it was hard. She told me at the graveside that this was very sad. I told her that "yes, it is indeed very sad and it is ok to be sad." Our daughter's two littles stayed home with the other grandparents.  After the service, our Sunday School class provided lunch for the 50 ish family members. Mark's mom loved party/tea food and we had finger sandwiches from Ousler's (there are stories about the places we've served those sandwiches) and several salads and chips and an assortment of brownies. Mark's mom always loved her sweets (he is just like her!) and over the last few years, she loved the mini ice cream cones (maybe bluebell?). She would always have at least one a day. My sister-in-law, Alice, went to the store and bought a BUNCH of those tiny ice cream cones and a friend brought them out at the end of the meal. One of our nephews (grown young adult) said he didn't realize that it would be the ice cream cone that brought him to tears. I'm actually misty eyed as I type.

Let me close with a few pictures of her. My brother-in-law put together a great slide show that was shown during visitation and he had pictures of her when she was young. These are from the last few years. We are going to miss her so very much.

It was right after this trip when
she fell and broke her hip.

Here she is between two grandsons.

Here she is with a almost all of the grandkids/greats.

Here she is with our generation.

Here she is playing "fort" with a great grand.

our son has a video of her reading and
it is beautiful

Well done good and faithful servant. You will be missed. Home Again! Home Again! Jiggity Jig!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

 

 Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 556

Thank you to Joyce for this week's questions! I would love to know your answer to some of the questions! Feel free to answer in the comments or join us over at From This Side of the Pond!

1. It's National Splurge Day...what's something you might splurge on today? What have you splurged on recently? I’m not going to be splurging on anything today. Some might think our upgrades to our home were a splurge, but we haven’t regretted a single penny.

2. Do you have a beach bag? What's in it? Is a trip to the beach on your summer bucket list? Do you have a summer bucket list? The two times I’ve been to the pool this summer, I’ve carried a plastic sack from the grocery store to hold my phone, etc. So classy! I own a couple of cute beach bags that were gifts and I do enjoy using them! I need a new beach towel because we are using the ones we already own to cover our chairs on the porch (cat hair). We usually go to the beach every year but since we are going to Greece and Turkey in October, we may not make it to the beach. One of the things on my summer list is to enjoy as many moments of this week as possible. Friday will be the longest day of the year and it is ONE of my favorite days!!

3. What's a song that makes you think of a summer past? What comes to mind when you hear it? What memories does it stir up for you? Fun, Fun, Fun by the Beachboys! Songs by Jimmy Buffet make me think of the beach! We are going to see Black Jacket Symphony in July and they will be performing a night of Jimmy Buffet!

4. Sushi-yay or nay? Have you actually tried it? If you love it what's your go-to order? I have not tried Sushi. My family loves it. Mark even loves sashimi (nope – not me!).

5. I own a ridiculous amount of  (this was a fill in the blank!): flip flops?? Or maybe books?? We cleaned out so much when we moved back into the house. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. I will write about her soon, but my mother-in-law died last Wednesday and her interment and Memorial Service are today. If I don't visit your blog and comment today, I'll try to catch up soon. Our daughter, Laura, wrote this last week and posted on social media:

Last night, one of the greatest women I’ve ever known went home to be with her Lord and Savior. And I know that when she got there she was greeted with open arms and the words “Well done good and faithful servant.” She was the only grandparent I ever knew but she was all I ever needed. She taught me so many things including that it’s always better to be over dressed than underdressed, never show up to someone’s house empty handed, and the biggest lesson, that she lived out daily, was that there is always room at the table. She had 4 children, 6 grandchildren, and 3 great grandchildren but there was always room at the table for anyone who didn’t have somewhere to go. One Easter my cousin brought 10 of his friends from college to Easter lunch and she welcomed each one of them with a smile and hug. If there wasn’t room, she would just get another table. She was affectionately known to everyone as ‘Grandmother’ because that’s how she treated everyone, like she was their grandmother. She will be missed terribly but I know she is leaving a legacy that will last for generations to come because there is always room at all of our tables because there was always room at hers.

 

Sunday Stealing

I’m joining up with Sunday Stealing. This week’s questions were stolen from SwapBot. I’m not answering these questions with complete sentences 😊.

 

1.  What is most important to you. I’m going with family, friends, faith – not necessarily in that order.

2.  Your best trait. Physical or personality trait? I’m a good listener. I have a great smile.

3.  A movie that makes you happy. I recently watched the two Book Club movies and enjoyed them both!

4.  Something that excites you. Travel

5.  Something that worries you. The state of our world

6.  Actions you admire. Kindness is one. I also love when I see a parent and child and you can just tell that the parent is a really good parent. Patience!

7.  What year has been your best so far.  Each year of my 66 years has had some great things and some not so great things!!

8.  Who do you trust? I trust God. I trust my husband. I trust my closest friend. There are others I trust, too, but I don’t trust easily. If you are one of the people I trust, just know that I don't trust easily!!

9.  A Song from Your Childhood. My mom said that Purple People Eater was playing in the delivery room when I was born.

10.  What you wore today. It is a MILLION degrees here in Alabama (I’m writing on Saturday). It is 93 degrees and according to weather.com, it feels like 100 degrees with heat index. All of that to say – I have on flip flops, a white tank top from Lands End, a pair of exercise shorts. I have the air conditioner running almost non-stop. I probably should bump up the temp.

11.  A book you are currently reading. I’m reading The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni for work. I’m reading A Clean Kill on my kindle/phone. I think it was a Prime free first choice book.

12.  What do you want less of? Pounds! I want to weigh less. I have lost a couple of pounds over the last two weeks.

13.  A question that needs to be asked. This may open a can of worms. If you respond, please be kind. Who in the U.S. could do a good job as President and run this country? I’m not happy with any of the candidates.

14.  The best idea you’ve had this week. I have had no ideas this week. That is not exactly true. I think every idea I’ve had in my personal life has been shot down. This wasn’t an idea but a choice – we went to dinner for my birthday on Friday night and we enjoyed the restaurant, the food, our friends, and our beverages.

15.  How are you creative? I enjoy different types of crafts from paper crafts to vinyl and everything in between. Mark is the most creative of the two of us. He creates these amazing stories to tell our granddaughters as they play and pretend. He used to make up stories for our own kids, too.

Hodgepodge!!

It must be Wednesday because it is time for joining up with Joyce for the weekly Hodgepodge!! 

1. June 12 is National Simplicity Day. In what way is your life simple? What's one way that it's not? I did not know we celebrated Simplicity Day! I feel like when I hold/hug one of our granddaughters . . .for just that moment, life is simple. I have a routine of the things I do each day and I keep a running list of "things to do," so I hope that makes my day "more" simple. We live a very busy and full life and I'm not sure I would call that simple. As I'm thinking about this question, I think about last Thursday. The junior high kids painted four houses out in the West End area of Birmingham. We took popsicles to the work sites after lunch on Thursday. For a few moments, we stood in the shade behind one of the houses while the kids ate popsicles, told us about their day, and played silly games. For that brief moment, life felt simple BUT if I take time to think about the homeowner who is in a lower income bracket and is dependent on a group of junior highs from a local church to paint her house . . .that same moment may not seem simple to her, but very hard. Does that make sense? My simple moment might still be a very hard and not simple moment for someone else.

2. Something you remember from a 'simpler time'? When we were kids, we played in our neighborhood all of the time. There were a ton of kids and we played until we were called home for supper. We rode bikes and played kickball. The girls played Barbie and as we got older, talked about boys. The days of summer felt long and lazy and wonderful and simple.

3. Do you like squash? If so what's your favorite variety? What's a favorite way to prepare squash? I love squash. I like yellow crookneck and zucchini. We love butternut squash. I like acorn squash when we can find sweet ones. My favorite way (which I NEVER cook) would be fried squash like my momma made. Now I like it stir-fried with onions or baked into a squash casserole. I also love it when I can buy the little bitty yellow squash. I cook the squash whole in boiling water and then you make a little bowl in the wider part and scoop out the insides into a bowl. I mix Pepperidge Farm Dry Stuffing (in the bag) with an egg, some cheese, and the scooped out insides and refill the hole. Sprinkle a little more cheese on top and bake for about 30 minutes. Yummy!

4. Do you shop the warehouse stores (such as Costco, Sam's B.J's, etc)? If so how often do you go, and what's something you always buy in this type of store? Costco is very convenient for us and we have a membership. We buy disposable pans for Tuesday night (two sizes), generic Zyrtec, Rotisserie Chickens, bagged salad, Protein drinks, Queso, fruit . . .we don't buy all of those things every time but we buy as needed.

5. Father's Day is this coming Sunday. Any plans to make the day special? Tell us something about your own father, or something about your hubs as a father, or about someone who stepped into your life and acted as a father if yours was not a part of your life. I need some ideas, please!! 

My daddy died when Mark and I were dating. I would love to have a long chat with both my dad and mom. Here are some pictures of me and my daddy:

in the swing of our frontyard - I'm about 
3 or 4 years old (I guess)

This was taken in the months before
he died. He has already been diagnosed
with cancer. I was so thin back then :-)

When I was in the 6th grade, my daddy was involved
in a train accident. He was an Engineer for the railroad
and they thought they were about to hit a gasoline
tanker truck and the crew jumped out of the window.
He broke both of his legs. We borrowed that
wheelchair which was an antique because it
worked for both legs to stick out straight!
His hospital bed was set up in our kitchen.

Mark was a great dad to our kids and he is an even better Pops to our granddaughters. They LOVE Pops!

This was at the beach a few years ago.
Both girls have grown so much!!

Here is is holding the newest granddaughter

I am thinking this might have been taken when
the kids were in high school or even college

That is Mark in the background and Laura is
behind him and Glenn is showing off
his fish!

6. Insert your own random thought here. I saw this and borrowed it from the internet.

Photo Dump!!

I just did a photo dump right into the blog - there is so much to talk about and for me to remember! Of course, as I moved photos from one file into the blog, they became out of order. Why does it do that?? If you don't want to read about the mundane day to day life, please feel free to skip out! 

Our two youngest granddaughters went to the beach with their parents and their other grandparents. They had lots of fun! Big Sis is loving on Lil Sis.

Here is a picture of Granddaughter #2 and Granddaughter #3
at the same age. They are sisters and those genetics
are strong!

We had not seen this baby girl in a month and
it is amazing how much she has
grown and how bright eyed she
is!!

One of my summer goals was to go
to the pool more often.
Granddaughter #1 and her mommy have
been over two times and we've been
to the pool!!

Last week, we headed south on I65 to help our daughter and son-in-law with the girls. They needed to be somewhere early Friday morning, so we drove down on Thursday afternoon and stayed until after lunch on Friday. You probably can't read the facebook article but . . .

About the time we left our daughter's house, a wreck happened on I65 North. We always check Waze before leaving because I65 is notorious for accidents - especially during beach season. Waze told us it would take 1 hour and 37 minutes to get home. Perfect! A little slower than a no traffic day (20 extra minutes) but no big deal. Traffic was moving until it wasn't. There was a HORRIBLE wreck with at least one fatality and both sides of I65 were shut down. All 10,000 cars (made up number) had to exit the interstate and drive on two lane Highway 31. It took us two hours and 20 minutes and when we got back on the interstate, we were still on the Montgomery side of Clanton. Clanton is 50 minutes or so from our house. On a good day, the drive to their house is about an hour and 20 minutes. It took us over 3 hours to get home on Friday afternoon. The deal is that we got home safely. Those families lives have been changed forever. I cannot even imagine.

It never ceases to amaze me how people drive in these situations and how rude they can be.

These photos are so out of order. Our son-in-law and granddaughter #2 planted a garden. Everything is growing nicely. Look at those carrot tops! They have green tomatoes and lots of other things growing.

I know y'all saw the picture below on Hodgepodge day. Mark was entertaining the little one.

We both fed her and burped her and changed her and held her as much as possible! I love how she would hold onto my thumb when I was feeding her.

Pop George (Mark's identical twin brother - Granddaughter #1 named him because he looks just like Pops so instead of Uncle George, he is Pop George) sent golf clubs with us to their house because our son-in-law likes to play. Pop George had a set of clubs just her size and there were also golf gloves! She was trying on the golfing gloves . . .she wanted to know if she could garden in them, also!

Mark played with granddaughter #2 a LOT while I held the baby. When I wasn't holding her, I tried to jump in and play, too.

She is growing so fast!!

We had a meeting a week or so ago at work. I used to make a Big Wheel Sandwich. You can read about it here. I CANNOT find the bread needed. I ordered one-time from their website but shipping was expensive. I improvised and used the rolls instead of the round. I was watching the Birmingham Southern College baseball game while I was making them and burned the bottoms!! I cut the bottom off and took them on to work and we ate them anyway. Does anyone know where I can buy some round loaves of Hawaiian bread? Other round loaves don't work. The Hawaiian round loaves are perfect.

Back on May 30, 31, and June 1, I attended the North Alabama Annual Conference of the UMC. It was such a great three days. Our Bishop spoke at a breakfast for women pastors and women leaders in the church and it was so good. At various times she would say, "You can't make these things up!" We all responded, "No, You Can't!" She told stories about her time in ministry.

This is my boss (and senior Pastor) below. He spoke a lot throughout the conference. Friday of Annual Conference is "wear seersucker" day so, he does have on a seersucker suit.

For those of you not from Alabama, Birmingham Southern College closed on the last day of May. So many people on our church staff and in our church attended Birmingham Southern. They were playing baseball during annual conference and I may have snapped this photo! Looked at what is propped on the hymnals!! Phones with no sound turned on . . .BSC baseball! They went on to play on Sunday afternoon, but lost. They were the college baseball team playing without a college.

We ate several meals together at the conference and Tre Luna did a lot (if not all) of the catering. I attended a Laity session on Friday morning for breakfast and the COSROW (Commission on Status and Role of Women) breakfast on Saturday morning. Both began at 7:00 so the days were long.

On Thursday, May 30 (yes, first day of the conference) as soon as the workshop I was attending was over, I ran to the car and raced home (27 minutes) because it was opening night of Sylvia at the Homewood Theater. The play was about a dog and his owners and the dog's name was Sylvia . . .and Sylvia had a dirty mouth!! The girl who played Sylvia was the perfect actress for the part. On opening night, they always have the "world famous opening night reception" immediately following the play and the snacks usually go along with the play. They had dog bone cookies with Sylvia's name on them. 

A LOT of our church friends are like us and have season tickets for opening night. It is a small theater and it is so fun to be there with our people. There are six of us that are really close and we usually go out to dinner together. We eat at SoHo Taco next door to the theater and we can get a margarita to go to take with us to the theater. One couple was out of town this time but the other four of us went to dinner and then the play. We sent the selfie to couple #3 and told them we missed them.

During Annual Conference, I attended two Learn and Lead sessions - one on radical hospitality and one on getting volunteers (not volunteers, but family members- church family members) to help us in ministry. Both sessions were good.

It was really fun because the conference was held in the church where our son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter #1 attend. I was able to sit in the space where they worship and where small groups are held, etc.

What has been going on in your world lately?