The Final Wednesday Hodgepodge

The Questions and the Answers

1. What has been the highlight of your summer so far? (It's still summer people!)

I cannot think of a specific, singular highlight. There are several, such as putting the awfulness that was Corpus Christi behind us and moving forward, and Tiglet and the Soot Sprites coming to live with us.

2. What do you wish you'd done more of this summer? Less of?

I wish I’d been able to stay home more and live on my own body’s schedule more. I wish I’d been pulled in forty different directions less.

3. Something you're looking forward to on your September calendar?

I look forward to making more videos for our new YouTube channel - From the Kitchen of McClendon Villa, and seeing where that takes us.

4. Best/favorite book you've read this summer?

My favorite book this summer was a book on a not-favorite subject: Grief. It’s OK That You’re Not OK by Megan Divine was a really good book for me to read, in that it showed me my feelings were not wrong, that it is perfectly normal to not be on the same timetable as other folks expect me to be. You can read my review here.

5. Share something positive, encouraging, or uplifting here.

We can endure anything for a moment. And then the next one. And then the next one. We are not alone. He is here.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I sure hate to see the Hodgepodge end. I haven’t been able to be as regular with it as I would like to have been, but I always enjoyed it. Best wishes to you, Joyce, as you go further with your writing and loving on that beautiful grandson of yours. :)





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Wednesday Hodgepodge

The Questions and the Answers

First things first, Happy Birthday to my wonderful, funny, beautiful husband. :)

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

My 30s were full of babies, children, and the biggest move of my life.

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

Exercise is harder for me. Not because I don’t want to do it, necessarily, but because of breathing difficulties.

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

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

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

We still have and use a VCR as well as a DVD player. Our house is loaded with books, therefore, well-used bookshelves. There are at least 3 desktop computers here still in use, as well as a paper shredder, a Rolodex, CD racks, and CD burners. We have a couple of printers, one still in use and that one includes fax capabilities. “They” still deliver printed phone books about every year to the end of our driveway. We also have an old 500 phone, though we no longer have a landline. There are several calculators around here that are used. I think there is an incandescent light bulb still in one of the closets.

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

At the rate I’m going, ME!

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

I have no clue what we did for my birthday last year and, yes, that is typical - the forgetting, that is.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I love the Moana movie! It is so inspirational. It awakened my heart to the call of my potter ancestors.

 

 

Have a blessed day, y’all!

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Wednesday Hodgepodge

The Questions and the Answers

1. April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes. Is there a flower you associate with a particular memory? Explain.

Boy, do I! When I was a little girl, I absolutely loved daffodils. I still do. One of our elderly neighbors had them planted at the base of the huge tree in front of her house. I believe her name was Mrs. Cromer. She was a sweet little lady, always on her porch with a smile. One day, I picked one of her daffodils. I was little and it was so pretty. I couldn’t resist it.

My mama handled it the way these things should be handled. She had me go to Mrs. Cromer and confess what I had done, give her flower back to her, and apologize. She was very nice about it, but lesson learned. Never pick someone else’s flowers without asking!

2. Last time you helped someone? Tell us how.

One of our friends has a retail store that was hit very hard during the flooding after Hurricane Harvey. He did what he could to help his customers during that awful time (this town is still in recovery mode). Now, something he did because he thought it was the right thing to do under the circumstances has come back to bite him. As they say, no good deed goes unpunished. We are trying to help him navigate the legalities of the paperwork and acting as an interpreter/mediator for him. Please keep him in your prayers.

3. It's National Salsa Month (the food, not the dance) so tell us, do you like salsa? Hot, medium, or mild? Homemade, store bought, or from your favorite restaurant only?

I love salsa, especially the chunky variety. I don’t like it very soupy/watery. I like all of them, hot, medium, mild, but usually use medium. I’ve never made salsa, but want to at some point. I have enjoyed it as the Mexican restaurants, but Pace is what I have most often.

4. When I was twelve years old…

When I was 12 years old, I attended Oakwood Christian School. I had Choco-Mints sometimes during lunch at school. We ordered our lunch each day from Stewart and they brought it to the school. It didn’t operate a regular cafeteria program like the public schools.

It was the year that I “became a woman”. I was introduced to a rather old-fashioned way of dealing with “protection” and it involved belts. Those belts were no more smile-inducing than the kind that often found my backside after back-talking Mama.

It was the year that I discovered it was fun to chase boys - literally. I had no clue what I would do with them once - and if - I caught one of them, but the running was fun anyway.

5. It's the first of May so let's run with it-first things first, don't know the first thing about it, first dibs on something, first impression, first rate, first cousin, first string, first come first served, at first light-which phrase can best be applied to something in your life currently or even recently?

Ok, I’ll go with “don’t know the first thing about it”. In this case, it is Cosplay...grownups putting on costumes and going to conventions dressed up like TV/movie/comic book characters. But, I’m going to learn. This is something that our girls really enjoy and want to pursue as a business of some sort. So, we’re working on going for it. Sewing machines that haven’t seen the light of day in 13 years are being dusted off and brought back into service. This should be a fun adventure.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

One thought that keeps coming to mind is wondering if we’re going to have another floody May. It flooded here in May 2015 and May 2016. I don’t remember a May 2017 flood, but August/September (after Hurricane Harvey) more than had that covered. It was the worst flood in a 100 years for this town. It rained all day Tuesday, May 1 and so that is why it is on my mind again. I’m not worried, just wondering. Heavenly Father has been with our family and home through all of the floods here and our house has never flooded due to weather issues. Plumbing issues are another story entirely. :)

Have a blessed day, y’all!

Image Source: Pixabay






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Wednesday Hodgepodge

The Questions and the Answers

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

Ok, here are three things from my pretend bucket list:

Take the ultimate spring wildflower photograph for National Geographic and/or Texas Highways magazines. This would be just totally awesome, but is third in this list of priorities.

Move way out into the boonies and have a very prolific garden. This one would be the best for my health overall.

Find my maternal-maternal-maternal 2nd great-grandmother’s maiden name. She had three daughters that survived to adulthood. I’ve never seen the obituary for the middle girl, and the obituaries of the older and younger daughters have different maiden names listed for this grandmother. This has been on my list the longest.

2. Where do you find rest? What restores your soul? When was the last time you did whatever it was you answered here?

There are two places that are usually restful for me, at least mentally. One is my bird watching spot between the carport and the patio. A cemetery is the other place. The last time I sat in my bird watching spot was yesterday evening, though it wasn’t for as long as I would have liked. I can’t remember the last time I had a leisurely stroll through a cemetery. Connecting with the ancestors, feeling like I’m in a huge family hug, is very restful for me mentally and emotionally.

3. April is National Celery Month. Who knew? Do you like celery? What's your favorite dish made with celery? On a veggie and dip platter which would you reach for first-carrot sticks, celery sticks, cucumbers or cherry tomatoes?

I like all of the veggies named. I think my granny’s dressing had celery in it, so I’ll pick that as my favorite dish made with celery. On the veggie platter, I would likely go for the tomatoes first.

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

How many of these are you currently doing? Which one do you think would help the most if you added it to your early morning routine?

I don’t have a dishwasher, so I can strike that one off the list. I put drinking water off as long as possible, so strike that one, too. The last few days I’ve gotten my Bible read before 6am and the same for a load of laundry. I know what we’re having for dinner, and I’m as dressed as I plan to be for the day.

So, I guess that leaves a thankful list, weighing on my mind list, and to-do list (which generally becomes a didn’t get done list!). Add the daily thankful list would probably be the most beneficial.

5. Describe the view from your window.

I see the patio, with food & water platforms and feeders for the birds. The squirrels enjoy the bounty, too.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Twenty-five years ago started the worst three months of my life. My precious grandma passed away, alone in a nursing home, 18 April 1993. I was supposed to visit with her that morning, but had stayed up all night doing laundry and chatting with a neighbor. I was too tired to go visit Grandma, 45 miles away. I remember my aunt’s phone call like it was yesterday. I was in the kitchen stirring spaghetti. Three months and three days later, our baby Dorian went to Heaven to be with Grandma. Those three months seem forever ago, a lifetime ago, but like yesterday. Folks say time heals all wounds. I think those folks have never lost a loved one. But, I know that I will see them and hold them again someday. They are safe and no hurt can ever touch them again. Who could I possibly ever choose as a better babysitter than Jesus and Grandma?

Have a blessed day, y’all!

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Wednesday Hodgepodge

The Questions and the Answers

1. What's a word that describes your life? A word you wish described your life?

Hectic and scary describe my life right now. “Peaceful” is a word that I wish described my life.

2. Back in my day we ________________________________?

Back in my day, we went outside to play and the phone stayed at home hooked into the wall. We didn’t stay tied to a screen of any sort all day long. We rode our bikes. We played hide-and-seek, kickball, and softball. We ran in and out, letting the screen door slam behind us in either direction, much to Mama’s agitation. We visited our grandparents. And we ALWAYS had Thanksgiving dinner with Granny. Always.

3. When it comes to takeout are you more likely to opt for Italian, Mexican, or Chinese food? Does a typical week at your house include takeout?

I’m more inclined to get BK or KFC if we are out. We don’t usually get takeout every week or even every month.

4. Think about the people you most respect. What is it about them that earned your respect?

First and foremost are my grandparents. All four of them loved me unconditionally.

The fact that they held to their convictions and didn’t back down, no matter who was trying to force them to, earned my respect. Mrs. Pennington, Miss Elrod, Mrs. Johnson, those are the folks that first come to my mind.

Miss Elrod was my 8th grade English and homeroom teacher. She also taught my mama way back when. She gave me my first caliber speech.

Mrs. Johnson was my 11th grade homeroom and Typing II teacher. Heavenly Father had already been kicked out of public schools by then, but she read a morning devotion to our homeroom class every morning, without fail, anyway.

Mrs. Pennington was my 11th grade US History teacher. She was a tough cookie. She didn’t take anything from anybody. AND she was a sweetheart. She genuinely cared about her students and didn’t put up with foolishness. Most of my time at that particular school district was h-e-double-toothpicks, but these three women gave me reason to carry on and not buckle under. They believed in me and did what they could to help me believe that I had great potential.

Oh yeah, and Mr. Stokes. He won me the morning he said to me, “Great things come in small packages.” He knew that I was tormented for my short stature and it was his way of telling me that my height (or lack thereof!) wasn’t a fault. I was someone with potential in spite of it.

Everyone needs a few teachers like this in their lives. It only takes a few to make a difference. There are more than enough hurtful ones to go around. When you find the good ones, like I did, the blessings and effects last forever.

5. What's something your friends might see and say is 'so you'?

I know it will sound weird, especially to those of you that haven’t known me for very long, but a cemetery! I am a family history researcher and cemeteries are a part of the package. I love walking through old cemeteries as much as, if not more than, walking through Hobby Lobby. I get my life from those old resting places.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I found this great quote about respect just now:

Show respect to all people, but grovel to none. Tecumseh

It makes me think of my Granny Gunter. This past Sunday was her 8th anniversary in Heaven. She endured a lot in her lifetime. She was blunt. Some thought she was rude and rough. Inside she was a big ol’ loveable teddy bear. One thing she wasn’t, though, was a groveler. She wasn’t going to beg anybody for the love that she needed and wanted. If they didn’t want to be around her, she had the attitude “to heck with you”...well, “heck” isn’t exactly the right word, but you get the point. If they didn’t want her, she didn’t need them. My granny was a great teacher.

I sure do miss you, Granny. Please hug Daddy for me.

Have a blessed day, y’all!

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Wednesday Hodgepodge

The Questions and the Answers

1. Best place you've been lately?

The best place that I can think of is the First Presbyterian Church’s Wildflower Project field. It is loaded with bluebonnets, Indian paintbrushes, and assorted other wildflowers. It always has a beautiful display. The wildflowers are my favorite part of living in Texas.

 

Playing with angles. Bluebonnets at First Presbyterian Wildflower Project. 13 March 2018

2. What's something you should say yes to today? Or this week? Or even this year?

Something I should say yes to…”Something. Anything!”, I guess would be my answer. I am finding it hard to be motivated to do anything due to overwhelming floods of emotion. I need to just do SOMETHING anyway.

3. Do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day in any way, shape, or form? If so tell us how. In Western cultures the color green is typically associated with jealousy, nature, good luck, and growth. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word 'green'?

We celebrate by wearing green, most of the time. One year, I took goofy pics of the gang in St. Patrick’s Day holiday wear. You can see one that I took of David here on my Instagram feed.

First thing to come to my mind when I hear the word green...nature, Ireland, money. Oh, yeah, and emeralds!

4. What's a product or service you love so much you'd happily be their spokesperson? Tell us what makes you such a fan.

I would happily be a spokesperson for Newspapers.com, if I were a spokesperson kind of person. That probably entails public speaking of some sort, and that is not a Suz kind of thing. So, I write about them on my blog sometimes. They won’t accept me as an affiliate because I use a free blog rather than a self-hosted one, but I like their service anyway. One of these days companies like this will realize that the little people outnumber the big people.

Anyway, I have found so much on their site about my family. I found my mother’s birth announcement, where she went to eat dinner at an aunt’s house, obituaries for quite a few ancestors, our wedding announcement, an article about me and Avon that I had totally forgotten about, articles about the baby charity we operated back in South Carolina, a snippet of a story where my great-great-grandma took the insurance company to court, a story about a fight at the wedding of David’s Great-Grandma and Grandpa Bushnell, and all sorts of neat things.

5. March 14th is Pi Day. How are your math skills? What's the last thing you did that required math of any kind? And most importantly do you like pie? What's your favorite kind? With ice cream, whipped cream, or please hold the cream?

Math and I are mortal enemies. Haha The last thing that I can think of that involved math for me was calculating someone’s age for a particular year.

Yes, I like pie. Even better, I LOVE pie! I think apple pie is probably my favorite, with pecan pie a close second. Ice cream or whipped cream or without it, doesn’t matter to me, so long as I get the pie. :)

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I was introduced to a term recently that I was unsure of, so I looked it up. The term was “dependa”. What I learned is something that I think is totally disgusting. It is a derogatory word for military spouses. There are apparently people out there that seek out the social media pages of military spouses, hang out at the commissaries and other places on bases to take pictures of them to post online, and make insulting and hurtful comments to and/or about them. They bash them for depending on their spouse’s income, call them lazy, and a host of other mean things.

If these people bashing the service wives are actually pro-military, wouldn’t it be more supportive of the troops to be NICE to these spouses rather than distracting the soldier/sailor/warrior with worry about what’s happening to their wives and children while they are serving this country? Some of the people doing this are actually service people, or former service people, themselves. Talk about one’s own family turning on them! How can you have a true “brotherhood” when you know people are calling your wife bad names and tormenting your children?

Have these alleged adults turned back into 13 year olds bullying on the schoolyard? Grow up already!

 

White flowers. First Presbyterian Wildflower Project. 13 March 2018

On a good note, what’s bloomin’ in your neck of the woods these days?

 

Have a blessed day, y’all!

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Wednesday Hodgepodge

The Questions and the Answers

1. Are you currently operating at 100% capacity? If not, what % are you? What's keeping you there?

No, I am not operating anywhere near 100%. After the extended hospital/nursing home stay, I was very depleted. Now, with a major heart-ripper going on, I have absolutely nothing left, mentally, physically, nor emotionally.

2. Have you done your taxes? Planned/booked a summer holiday? Thought about or started your 'spring cleaning'? Besides what's listed here, tell us one task that needs doing before spring rolls around.

David handles the taxes and is very efficient so, yes, they are done. No summer holiday in the plans. Decluttering will continue. I had started “spring cleaning” before we left for the hospital in December. I don’t have anything that needs to be done specifically before spring gets here. It just needs to get done!

3. What's a favorite food from your part of the country?

Shrimp! But, that would be a favorite of mine no matter what part of the country I was in!

4. This isn't a leap year, but let's run with it anyway...look before you leap, a leap of faith, grow by leaps and bounds, leap to conclusions, leap at the opportunity...which phrase might best be applied to your life currently (or recently)? Explain.

“A leap of faith” comes the closest of all of the choice and that is because we need to hold desperately to our faith right now that everything is going to be okay. Right now, everything is not okay, and is the farthest it has ever been from okay. I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I know Who holds tomorrow. I have to keep holding on to that.

5. As the month draws to a close list five fun and/or fabulous things (large or small) you noticed or experienced in February.

After the heartbreaking things that have gone on this month, this is going to be a very difficult one for me to answer. I am going to try…

1. Funny - I just looked at the calendar behind my computer and noticed that it is still on January.
2. Fabulous - The waiting and watching for the wildflowers is on!
3. Fun - My Twitter feed is getting more attention. I don’t know what has perked it up, but whatever it is, I hope it keeps it up.
4. Fabulous - David’s foot is looking better and better.
5. Better than fabulous! - While going through some boxes that have been packed up since we lived in South Carolina, I finally found my Glamour Shots pictures from way back when I was 31 years old (February 1997). This gives me hope that I might soon recover our photo album that I haven’t seen since we left South Carolina. See, I had little unpackers that kept going behind me undoing things as I was packing for the move out here to Texas, so nothing is/was in the boxes where I initially packed them. Each box is a surprise.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
Frank Herbert

The second line of this quote stands out to me because I know it to be true. Right now, my mind feels dead and totally useless to me. So much has happened over this last month that I just can’t fathom and I don’t know how to deal with it. Heavenly Father will get us through it, but recovering my mind? I don’t know if that will ever happen. They say we only use 10% of our brain. What happens when something really big and scary comes and takes away even that 10%?

Quote source: The Positivity Blog

Image source: By Edvard Munch - WebMuseum at ibiblioPage:
URL: http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/munch/munch.scream.jpg,
Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37610298





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Wednesday Hodgepodge

If this post is not displaying properly, please visit our twin site over at PS Annie! at WordPress.

1. Speaking of endings....at your wit's end, at loose ends, a dead end, burn the candle at both ends, all's well that end's well, or no end in sight...which 'end' phrase might best be applied to your life lately? Explain.

 “At my wit’s end” would probably be the best choice here. No matter what, it seems I’m beating my head against a wall. I plan to get this or that done, and something comes along to make sure it doesn’t get done.  

2. What was a must have accessory when you were growing up? Did you own one? If so tell us what you remember about it.

The first thing to come to mind was a Izod jacket. Remember the little gator/crocodile logo? Those were all the rage. I do not remember owning one myself, but there were plenty being worn around our school.

3. Something that made you smile yesterday?

It gave me a great many smiles trying to capture the moon with our oldest daughter last night and then this morning. Supposedly, we weren’t going to be able to see the eclipse here on the Texas Gulf Coast, but we did see it through totality. It was awesome. I’m sure I gave our neighbors a good laugh, too, being out there in my cardinal nightgown, sandals and socks, at 40-something degrees between 6 and 7am. :)  

4. January 30th is National Croissant Day. Do you like croissants? Sweet or savory? We're having chicken salad for lunch...would you rather have yours served on a croissant, a wrap, a bagel, bread, or a roll of some sort?

I love bread in most any form that I can get it. I think croissants are great. I prefer savory croissants. I think chicken salad in a wrap or a croissant is yummy, but it is great on other breads, too. I just don’t particularly care for bagels. I think they are icky.  

5. Sum up your January in fifteen words or less.

I am glad to be home. Hospitals and nursing homes are emotionally and physically exhausting.
  
6. Insert your own random thought here.

I read some especially interesting verses during my devotion time this morning. I don’t generally get involved in political talk because, even with voting, I don’t really feel that I can change anything. These verses stood out to me because of the anti-president talk we’re faced with every day, no matter who the president is:

Romans 13:1-2, King James Version

 “1. Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.”

No matter who ends up in office, they are there because Heavenly Father allowed them to be, to somehow work to His glory and good. Shouldn’t we, rather than griping about them, pray for them instead? We can pray for them and for our country while continuing to work to make things the way we think they should be.

If for no other reason, do it for them…



Image source: Pixabay

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Wednesday Hodgepodge

Please click the image above and give Joyce a great big howdy!

The Questions and the Answers

1. Tradition...how tightly do you cling to tradition when it comes to holiday gatherings and celebrations? For instance do you always do the cooking, never eat at home, always go to grandma's, never miss the parade, always watch football, never change the menu, always eat at 2 PM, etc.? Have you ever celebrated Christmas or Thanksgiving away from hearth, home, and family? How did that feel?

From Left: Jared, Daddy, Granny, Me, and Laynie, circa 1992

I would love to have been able to hold onto the traditions of my childhood when it comes down to the holidays. We always went to my Granny Gunter’s house, without fail.  I never had to wonder where we’d eat Thanksgiving dinner. It was like an unwritten law that we would be at Granny’s for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I looked forward to it every year. I had access to all 4 of my grandparents year-round as they all lived within 13 miles of our homeplace. This special meal made visits to Granny’s even more special. I cherish those memories, even with the arguing that always happened between mama and Granny.

Baby Laynie

Now, things have changed. Our kids are spread all over the country. Laynie is here with us and we cherish this time with her. This year, it will be the three of us, along with grand-dogger Petra and froggy Vivaldi. I do the cooking myself and I love cooking!

We don’t have a set time for the meal as we aren’t having to cater to the needs of visiting family or friends. We just eat when we’re ready or, actually, as soon as all the food is ready, even if that is at 2am. :)

Baby Davey

I have celebrated Thanksgiving once without most of our family. Our first year here in Texas, David and most of the kids went to his mother’s house for Thanksgiving.  I didn’t feel welcome in her home and so I decided to stay home. Our youngest son wanted to stay home with me so that I wouldn’t be alone. He wasn’t a crowd-lover anymore than I am. Our menu was altered that year. I cooked his favorite foods. That Thanksgiving, we had pork chops and mashed potatoes.  I felt incredibly loved and so very lonely at the same time.  This year, he celebrates his first Thanksgiving as a married man.

2. Help...is it easy for you to ask for help or are you a do-it-yourselfer? How is that a good/bad thing?

It is very difficult for me to ask for help.  I have always, even from babyhood, been a very independent, I’ll-do-it-myself type of person. It was always a source of discord between my mama and myself. I don’t like to feel like I can’t do it myself. However, certain health limitations have brought me to the realization that I have to ask for help sometimes or I will do without whatever it is. So, I’ve gotten a little better about asking for help when I need it.

3. Abundance...what is there an abundance of in your kitchen?

Everything! At the moment, there is an abundance of food. I’m fine with that. :)  Cooking starts later this morning!

4. Name...the smallest thing you're thankful for? the biggest?

The smallest thing that I am thankful for is my wedding ring.  It means that I have someone to share my life with.  The biggest thing that I am thankful for, I guess would be this house in regards to size of things. Otherwise, the biggest thing is love of family and memories that feel like hugs from those that have gone on to their rewards.

5. Key...What do you think is the key to living a more grateful life?

I think one key to living a thankful life is to always, every day, thank Heavenly Father for something, even if you’re feeling more like whining and complaining. No matter how rotten life may seem at the moment, there is *always* something to be thankful for, even if it is only a little purple flower surprising you in the yard or a kitty twirling around your leg.

6. State your own random thought here.

My thoughts right now are consumed with an impending hospital admission that I hope never happens. David’s foot is in terrible condition, the worst his doctor has seen it since the necrosis that caused the amputation of his right big toe. This time, his entire lower leg is in jeopardy. He wanted to go ahead and admit him to the hospital, but decided to try and different treatment along with antibiotics to see if it responded. We go back next Monday to see if it has improved, stayed the same, or worsened. If there isn’t significant improvement - we’re praying for total healing! - he will be admitted to the hospital for the doctor to try to save his leg.  Thank you for any prayers that you can send up for his healing.

Have a blessed day and a very Happy Thanksgiving, y’all!

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Wednesday Hodgepodge

Please click the above image to visit Joyce over at From This Side of the Pond! Really! Go! She has the cutest grand-baby and loves to share his pictures. You know you can't resist a little cutie pie. :)

The Questions and the Answers

1. What takes you out of your comfort zone?

Speaking in public, being “on stage” takes me totally out of my comfort zone. I am painfully shy and introverted as well. I am most comfortable behind the scenes.

2. Your least favorite spice?

I cannot think of a least favorite spice. As best I can remember, I have liked all that I have tried.

3. What's a small change you'd like to make?

All the changes that I can think of that I would like to make are big in one way or another, either financially or physically. I would like to lose about 65 pounds. As is it, I am nearly two of what David started out with. Years of having babies and tumors and unhealthy eating have taken their toll. Besides being healthier, playing hide-and-seek would be even more of an adventure. I could hide in smaller spaces. :)

I would like to change the window coverings and flooring in this house.  Those things aren’t big like, say, knocking out walls and re-orienting the house, but they are more expensive than we can do right now.

4. Do you enjoy visiting historic homes? If so, of the homes you've visited which one was your favorite? What historic home near you is open to visitors? Have you been? Southern Living rounded up eleven of the best in the southern part of the US and they're as follows-

Monticello (Jefferson's home in Virginia), Nathaniel Russel House (Charleston SC), Swan House (Atlanta), Ernest Hemingway's home (Key West), The Biltmore (Vanderbilt home in Asheville NC), Mount Vernon (Washington's home in Virgina), San Francisco Plantation (Garyville, Louisiana), Windsor Ruins (Port Gibson Mississippi), Longue Vue House and Gardens (New Orleans), Whitehall (Palm Beach FL), and Pebble Hill Plantation (Thomasville GA)

Have you been to any on the list? Of the homes listed which would you most like to visit?

I love, love, love going to historic homes! We did a lot of this on our honeymoon. The biggest, by far, that I’ve ever been to was The Biltmore House. Everything about Biltmore Estates was beautiful, even in November.

Biltmore is the only one on the list that I have ever been to. David may have been to some of the other ones.  I would love to see Monticello, Jefferson's home in Virginia. Really, I’d like to see all of those listed, but I had to pick one and, well, he's family. :)

5. What's something you think will be obsolete in ten years? Does that make you sad or glad?

Cash and maybe real print books may be obsolete by then. I’m obsolete already!  Cash is pretty well out of style now.  It would be very sad for real books to disappear. Though I have a Kindle, I really prefer a real book to hold in my hand. I love the feel of it, the smell of it, all of it.

6.  Insert your own random thought here. 

"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. As long as this exists, and it certainly always will, then there will be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be." Anne Frank

Image source: Pixabay.


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Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What's surprised you most about your life or life in general?

I never imagined that I would be estranged from my birth family. I never imagined that I would be a thousand miles away in a nursing home with David, getting the call that my daddy was dead.  I never imagined not being there for his funeral. Even if I’d had all the money in the world, how do you choose between your daddy and your husband? My place was here.

But the biggest surprise for me was getting married in the first place. I didn’t think that was something that would ever happen for me. It was just for the pretty girls, not people like me. It was something that I had hoped for, and becoming a mother, too, but I just didn’t think it would happen.  Even after David and I were a couple for a long while, I still couldn’t believe it would happen.

The top two things on my life’s “to do” list have been done.  Now the surprise will be whatever happens next.

2.  Sweet potato fries, sweet potato casserole, a baked sweet potato, a bowl of butternut squash soup, a caramel apple or a slice of pumpkin pie...you have to order one thing on this list right now. Which one do you go for?

It would either be the squash soup, caramel apple, or pumpkin pie. I love squash and can still eat it. The same with pumpkin pie. I totally love caramel apples, but I cannot eat them due to a problem with my jaw. I can’t open my mouth very far. If the apple could be cut, then I’m there!

3. What's a famous book set in your home state? Have you read it? On a scale of 1-5 (5 is fantastic) how many stars does it rate?

I don’t know if this series of books is famous or not yet. It has won an Agatha Award. It seems like there was another award, too, but I can’t remember the name of it. The Liz Talbot Series by Susan M. Boyer is set in South Carolina lowcountry in a fictional island town called Stella Maris, which is near the real city of Charleston.  Liz is a detective and a pretty good one. I have read books 1-6 and the series most definitely rates a 5!

Thank you for adding to my “to be read” pile with this question, Joyce! haha

4. There are 60 days until Christmas...have you started your shopping? How do you stay organized for the holidays?

I stay organized for the holidays same as I do for the rest of the year - I don’t!  Really, there isn’t anything for me to organize specifically for the holidays here. Most likely, it will just be David, Laynie, Petra (grand-dogger), Vivaldi (froggie), and me here for Christmas. We get what we need or want (sometimes)throughout the year, so we don’t really have a mad rush at Christmastime. We try to concentrate on the real meaning of Christmas, not the commercial endeavor it has become.

5. October 26th is National Tennessee Day. Have you ever lived or spent any time in Tennessee? Is this a state you'd like to visit one day? The top rated tourist attractions in Tennessee are-

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park (Gatlinburg area), Elvis's Graceland (Memphis), Birth of the Music Biz (Memphis and Nashville), Dollywood (Pigeon Forge), Tennessee's Military Heritage (many battlefields), The Hermitage (Andrew Jackson's home), The Parthenon (Nashville), Oak Ridge American Museum of Science and Energy, Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley Railroad, Downtown Knoxville, Lookout Mountain, The Titanic Museum (Pigeon Forge), The Museum of Appalachia (Clinton), and The Lost Sea Adventure (Sweetwater)

How many on this list have you seen? Which one on the list would you most like to see?

I have spent time in Tennessee. We were there for part of our honeymoon. We’ve been to Graceland, Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Gatlinburg, the Hermitage, and Lookout Mountain. We’ve been to all of the towns that are mentioned, with the exception of Clinton, Sweetwater, and Oak Ridge. David’s sister lived there at some point, but we don’t remember going there. Most of the attractions were closed for the season when we were there in November 1984.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

I have had a blast the last couple of weeks putting together puzzles featuring the kitty cat artwork of Charles Wysocki! I learned about these great puzzles from Barbara over at Teleportingweena.

We have completed four of them (David and Laynie helped me). The pictures link to their listing on Amazon. These are the four:

Ethel the Gourmet

Frederick the Literate

Remington the Horticulturist

Maggie the Messmaker

Have a blessed week, y'all!

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Please be sure to visit David over at Random Thoughts and Observations.

I respond to all comments on this blog, ideally within 24 hours.  Please check back here for a response to your comment.  Thank you!
 
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