Guess the Category Hodgepodge

 Joyce asks the questions, and we provide the answers. See how others answered at From This Side of the Pond.

1. February is coming to a close. Give us a two-word phrase that tells us something about how yours went.

Stress-relieving

2. If you had to describe how you're feeling right now as an amusement park ride, what ride are you on? Explain. 

Lazy River. Things are starting to slow down for me and I'm trying to just take it all as it is coming.

3. What's something on your desk or a nearby wall that cheers you up when you see it or walk past? 

This is the Divine Mercy with the words "Jesus, I Trust in You!" under it. I taped this to my window during COVID and it has stayed right where I put it. This image has gotten me through so much over the past 3 years; it's a constant reminder that He always has my back. 

4.  Are you a salad eater? How many salads do you typically eat in a week? Your favorite kind of salad? 

If I eat veggies, I eat them through a salad. I've never cared for cooked vegetables, but give me some raw ones and I'm all good! I prefer just a regular tossed salad, and ones from restaurants are so much better than any I make at home. I really like the Texas Roadhouse salad.

5. Without telling us the category give us your top five ______________. 

Miss Scarlet and the Duke

All Creatures Great and Small

Doc Martin

Poldark

Unforgotten (Seasons 1-4)

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

It's been 7 months since CH & I went on our trip out west. I'm finally getting around to posting about it on the Flyin' the Coop blog. I decided to cross-post over on this blog, so check back every Monday for a new installment of the series. Part One was published this past Monday.

Bustin' Out All Over Hodgepodge

 

Joyce asks the questions, and we provide the answers. See how others answered at From This Side of the Pond.

1. "A daughter's a daughter all her life, but a son's a son til he takes a wife." What say you? Elaborate.

Not having any DILs, I'm going purely on speculation here. I don't think that's accurate. I think your son is always your son. In fact, I think I saw and talked with my sons more when they had serious girlfriends than I do when they don't. 

2. Something you've seen recently that was 'cuter than a June bug'? 

My sister who is 18 months older than I sent me a video of her grandson who is just a few months old. She hasn't laid on him yet since he is in Europe, so videos have to do for now! He is just adorable and is very vocal, which is precisely what this Speech-Language Pathologist likes to hear!

3. 'You can't buy happiness, but you can buy ice cream and that's pretty much the same thing.' Agree or disagree? Last time you had a serving of happiness ice cream?  Dish-cone-milkshake-sundae...which one do you choose? 

Oh, how I love ice cream! When I eat it now, I can't eat a whole bowl and have to tone it down to just 1 scoop. If I didn't have any dietary restrictions, I would go for a big ol' milkshake! There was an ice cream place down the road from where we lived in SC that had the best shakes...the peanut butter & chocolate shakes were amazing!

4. What is one way/area in which you're currently 'swimming against the tide'? 

My motivation to do anything has completely left me this summer. Maybe my body just needs a break from the structure of the school year. I get up in the morning (right as the sun is coming up) and do my 30-minute walks and then go to morning mass, but other than that, I just don't feel like doing anything. 

5. Three things you're looking forward to this summer?

Summer is already here for me. I still hope that CH & I will go camping for a couple of days. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Due to my lack of motivation, I've been binging on shows. I just finished The Last Kingdom. Oh my, that Uhtred is a beautiful man! I really enjoy shows that have historical significance, so I will google the people in the show and the places for information. If you've watched it, you may be interested to know that Beocca is a saint. There is a St. Hild and I thought it was the same Hild portrayed in the show, but Hild was born about 200 years after St. Hild passed away. 

The Bloomin' Hodgepodge

Well, I was doing great for about a month or 2 with keeping up with the Hodgepodge! I'm trying to get back on track (and I still have 1 last post to write in my Canadian Maritimes series)! Wanna join? Joyce provides the questions on Tuesdays; answer and post on Wed. Don't forget to link up and visit with other bloggers!

 1. What are some memories you associate with spring? 

I don't have any specific memories that don't revolve around Easter. Flowers blooming, warmer weather, spring breaks are my memories.

2. April showers bring May flowers...was that saying proven true where you live? Snapdragons, anemones, carnations, lilacs, sweet peas, tulips, lily of the valley, orchids, roses, gardenias...which one on that list is your favorite May bloom? 

April hasn't been too rainy here this year. I love tulips! Sadly, I don't have any in my yard but I enjoy my next-door neighbors. (Who has the most beautiful, awesome yard!)

3. What are your top three distractions and how do you deal with them? 

Wandering mind, wandering mind, wandering mind! I try to get it back on track when I need to; otherwise, I just let it wander!

4. Do you eat beef? In the course of a week, how often is beef on the menu? A hamburger, steak, prime rib, or a roast beef dinner...which beef entree would you choose and yes you have to choose. Unless you're a vegan, and then you may pass. 

We've been eating a bit more red meat lately. I usually fix quite a bit of chicken but beef has taken over a bit. Give me a steak anytime, especially if it's cooked and seasoned just right.

5. In what way were you creative during the month of April?

I'm afraid I haven't been very creative during April. I did make a couple of things for my online teacher store, but I'm not going so far as to say they were very creative!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

In the past few years, I haven't watched much television. I will binge here or there. Last weekend was a binge weekend. I found a couple of excellent Masterpiece shows to watch:

• Atlantic Crossing: The Norwegian Monarchs during WWII.
• All Creatures Great and Small: It's a year old, but I couldn't stop watching. And a trip to Yorkshire Dales is now on my list. Gorgeous scenery! If you've read the book, don't expect it to follow the same story...it doesn't. Actually, it doesn't at all.
• Endeavor: I found out a couple of weeks ago that there was a new season out. This show is a prequel to Morse, which has a sequel, Inspector Lewis. 

The Brits have so much better shows than we do. **sigh**

Friday Fragments: It's Been a Long Time!

 It's been a long time since I've participated in Friday Fragments (hosted by A Star in My Own Universe), but I have a little bit of free time since it's the end of Fall Break.

 I've been catching up on The Blacklist. I watched it pretty faithfully the first season, but I guess I forgot when it was on last year.

 Speaking of tv shows: there are some OMG! shows this fall: Blindspot and Quantico top the list. 

 Thinking about SC and all the rain they've had this past week. The town where we lived is okay; that area escaped the flooding. 

 I had a doctor's appointment and lab done this week. Time to eat like a grown-up and take better care of myself. Yuck. 

 After running over a wooden pallet in the middle of a highway on Wednesday, I have 4 new wheels & tires. Luckily, the only thing that happened to my car was a bent rim. It made me waste the good part of an afternoon & CH missed a half-day of work. 

 I saw these shirts on Love Denmark Facebook Page the other day. It says it all!

 I'm ready for more fall-like weather! This is my favorite time of the year: cool nights, warm days, colorful leaves. There's just something special about Fall!

Falling for the Hodgepodge

I'm pretty sure I've already used the Post Title before, but, eh....who cares?
Joyce has come up with some thought-provoking questions this week (as always), so put your thinking cap on and get started!

1. What have you 'fallen for' recently?
This isn't a new thing, but anything pumpkin. I had my first pumpkin spice latte of the season last weekend...I asked for 1 less pump of pumpkin, and it was perfect.

2. What's something you're 'squirreling away' for later?
If "squirreling away" can also mean procrastinating, then I'd have to say cleaning the house.

3. How do you like your apples? Sweet? Tart? Crisp? Cooked? Apples are one of the superfoods for fall...how often do you eat an apple either plain or as part of a favorite recipe? What's your favorite variety?

Sweet. I usually eat an apple by itself, but I'm definitely okay with eating them within a recipe. Like my MIL's Apple Pound Cake or an apple crisp.

4. According to Fodor's the ten best fall foliage trips in the US of A are-Aspen Colorado, The Catskills New York, The Berkshires Massachusetts, Columbia River Gorge Oregon, Green Mountain Byway Vermont, Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway New Mexico, Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, Upper Peninsula Michigan, Lake of the Ozarks Missouri, and Glacier National Park Montana. Which would you most like to visit this fall and why?
I'm very fortunate to be able to call the Great Smoky Mountains "home". Going into New England during the fall is definitely on my bucket list, so I'd say The Berkshires & Green Mountain Byway.

5. The topic of legalizing marijuana was raised in the most recent televised political debate so let's wade in too. Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia currently have laws legalizing marijuana in some form. Four states have legalize marijuana for recreational use. Your thoughts?
Honestly, I could pretty much care less. I'm not going to use it either way. I could definitely see the medicinal purposes, but not really for recreational use. But, like I said, I don't really care 1 way or the other.

6. Are you okay to watch a movie already in progress or do you need to always see it from the beginning? How about jumping into a TV series somewhere in the middle? Is that okay? 
 Oh, no! I definitely have to watch a movie and series from the beginning!

7. Thursday (September 24) is National Punctuation Day. What rule of punctuation trips you up most often? What rule of punctuation, when broken by someone else, bugs you the most?
When to use a semi-colon & colon. I also really have to think when I write "it's" vs. "its".  I can pretty much overlook punctuation; it's the whole using 'loose' for 'lose' or there for 'their' that gets me!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
I finished this season of Longmire last weekend. I even watched a few episodes twice. Now I can't believe I have to wait another year for the cliffhangers to get resolved!!! 

Not Much to Say for this Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Did you watch The Oscars? How many of the Best Picture nominees have you seen? (American Sniper, Birdman, Boyhood, Selma, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, and Whiplash)
Do you think actors should use their acceptance speeches as an opportunity to promote their political and/or social agenda? Does that sort of speech make you more or less inclined to change the channel?

I haven't seen any of them. I don't think actors should promote their political or social agenda at all. There are too many people out there who think that what they say is bible, and won't think for themselves.

2. Speaking of the movies... are you comfortable going to a movie alone? How about dinner in a restaurant (not fast food, but an actual restaurant)? The second half of this question was posed by Carrie who blogs over at It's Not Easy Being Queen. Thanks Carrie! 

I have never gone to the movie alone, but I don't think I would mind it at all. Dinner in a restaurant? A little uncomfortable, I would think.

3. What's the last home repair or home improvement project you had to pay someone to complete? In hindsight was this a project you could have done yourself? 

Off the top of my head, I would say it was the master bath that CH surprised me with a couple of years ago. We probably could have done it ourselves, but it certainly was much easier this way!

4. Have you ever had Indian food? Like it or no? If you're a fan, what's your favorite dish? Have you ever prepared this yourself at home? Is there an Indian restaurant in your current hometown? 

I've never had Indian. There is a rather popular restaurant in the Rival town, but I've never been.

5. A song that reminds you of your parents? 

It's not a particular song, but listening to Perry Como sing Christmas Songs reminds me of them.

6. The 26th of February is National Tell A Fairy Tale Day. What's your favorite, or one of your favorite, fairy tales? Do you have any childhood memories associated with aparticular fairy tale? 

I don't know that I have a favorite. I remember reading them when I was little...it's too bad that kids now don't have that same experience.

7. What's a problem you solved yesterday? 

The biggest problem I had yesterday was figuring out what I was going to eat for lunch. Gotta love snow days!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

We bit the bullet last week and had our cable disconnected. We had been talking about it for a while. Most of the shows we watch are on network tv, or on Netflix. We decided to get a Hulu Plus account, so that takes care of shows that we would watch "On Demand". We bought an indoor antenna for each of the tvs & they're working great so far. Hopefully that won't change when the leaves are on the trees.

Friday Fragments

I'm linking up with Mrs. 4444 for the last Friday Fragments of January.

~ Yesterday, I wore a blue sweater vest with a yellow shirt and blue shoes. At 9:00, I realized I also had on black pants. (Fashion fail.)

~ Monday, MS stopped by to pick up some stuff that he left at the house from Christmas. He also 'fessed up to a little trip to NJ to see a buddy while we were in The Keys. He got an amazing deal on an airplane ticket, and went to Atlantic City & Philly for the first time.

~ How about last night's episode of Scandal?

~ I'm looking forward to another quiet weekend.  Has anybody seen American Sniper? How was it? I've heard really good things about it.

~ The A-Z Blogging Challenge is coming up in April. Have you registered yet?

Not sure what it is? It's fairly simple: "You would start beginning April First with a topic themed on something with the letterA, then on April second another topic with the letter B as the theme, and so on until you finish on April thirtieth with the theme based on the letter Z.  It doesn't even have to be a word--it can be a proper noun, the letter used as a symbol, or the letter itself.  The theme of the day is the letter scheduled for that day." Click on the A-Z picture above to register! 

~ Is anybody else having trouble signing out of blogspot? So frustrating. I'm trying to sign out of  the Life in a Small Town blog and sign into my speech blog, but it won't let me sign out at all.

~ Have you seen this video? My boys would absolutely DIE if I even thought about doing this at their weddings (if any of them ever get married...which looks doubtful at this point!), but then again, I can't dance like this mama can!

~Have a wonderful weekend!

Friday Fragments

~ We made it through another first: My parents' anniversary was yesterday. Daddy keeps putting one foot in front of the other.

~ I've gone a whole week with little to no voice. I broke down Wed. and went to the doctor: no bronchitis, no strep. I walked out with a prescription for prednisone & some really strange stuff that makes it hard to swallow for a few minutes. (Yeah, won't be taking that again.) I could actually talk yesterday, so hopefully things are going to get better.

~ My baby turned 20 on Wed. It's so weird to think that we made it through the teenage years.

~ One more week until Fall Break! 1/4 of the year already gone...unbelievable! 

~ My "mountain school" does this every year:

Appalachian Bear Rescue is just up the street, so the kids gather acorns and other bear delights to donate. Plus, it gives them something to do during recess!

~ So glad Scandal is back on! I plan on spending a nice quiet weekend not using my voice & watching all of the premiers that I missed this past week. What are your plans?

Can't Help Falling into the Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. It's fall. Y'all. My favorite season of the year! What's something you love to do this time of year that makes you feel it's officially fall? And unrelated to that, do you ever say-'y'all'?
Watch football.  And wear long sleeves.  And make Pumpkin Muffins that Patty at Reasons for Chocolate has on her blog.  And, because I'm not too stingy, you can find it here. (Although I'm not real sure why she has it listed under "Desserts"...I eat them for breakfast!)  It's good, y'all. And easy. 
I think I just answered the "y'all" question!

2. When did you last have a falling out with someone? Has it been resolved?
I honestly can't remember having a falling out recently. I'm pretty much a "go with the flow" kind of person. I may get my dander up a little, but I usually just vent about it and it's done.

3. A song you love with the word 'fall' in it's title?
I'm not an Elvis fan, but Can't Help Falling in Love is a favorite.

4. What's something you've recently let 'fall by the wayside?'
Blogging.

5. When did you last attend an event, read a book, watch a movie, try a new recipe, or visit a shop-town-tourist attraction that fell short of your expectations? In what way?

I read The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick (author of Silver Linings Playbook) this summer. I was a little disappointed in it, because it was just...weird. But, now that I've seen Silver Linings Playbook, I completely get it.

6. Describe a time you said or thought, 'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

I work in elementary schools...so that's pretty much a daily occurrence! 

7. Was today better than yesterday? Why or why not?
It was better in that I had a little hint of a voice today, whereas yesterday I didn't.  Do you have any idea how hard it is to be a Speech Pathologist without a voice? My iPad got quite a bit of use yesterday, more so than normal!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
Oh, new shows! Or rather, new episodes of shows! How about Scott Bakula starring in the new NCIS New Orleans? Can't wait to see it! (When you read this, I would have already seen it...hope it doesn't fall short of my expectations!)
The Voice: I didn't think I'd like Gwen Stefani as a judge (even though I like her as a performer), but I'm thinking she's pretty good!
Did you see Red Band Society? Interesting. It's almost The Fault in our Stars-ish.
Are there any shows out there that I'm missing that i need to see?

Tuesday Post-Its

Weekend Wrap-Up

CH & I had our June camping weekend this weekend.  We left on Friday after dinner since we went to a state park that is just north of Knoxville.  We didn't want to get stuck in traffic, so we ate an early supper at home, then got on the road.
It was actually a little bit of a bummer weekend.  When we think "State Park", we think woods and walking trails, and a river or lake.  Especially since the name of the park has "Lake" in it.  We made the best of it, though.

We had a very nice family on the right side of us, so we talked to them quite a bit. (You can see in the picture just how close they actually were!) And, we tried out a couple of new recipes.  The first one was a recipe I found through Leah @ CiCi's Corner; we just made it in the dutch oven:

It turned out really well...even the bottom of the bread wasn't burned!  The recipe calls for sausage, onion, and green pepper, and a frozen bread loaf.  I got the already cooked turkey sausage and forgot about the onion & green pepper.  Kroger has a frozen package with all of that already in it, but I had a brain fart when I went to the store & didn't get it.  And, I forgot a rolling pin, so I had to use a cup to roll out the dough, so it didn't get rolled out thin enough.  If we make it again (and I think we probably will), I'll use the french loaf in a can so the dough will be thin.  

I had also found a recipe for Grilled Ham & Cheese Pull Apart Sandwich Loaf.  

As you can see, I didn't spray all of the foil as much as I should have, and part of the loaf was burned.  The recipe says to put in on the grill for 20-25 minutes; I think 10-15 would have been enough.  The part that wasn't burned was good, though, and Laika liked the burned part!

It rained off & on on Saturday, so CH caught up on some sleep, and I finished another book.  I love to hear the rain on the easy-up/awning/camper.  It's so peaceful.  Since there was 4G at the campground, we were able to use the hotspot to watch the rest of  "Longmire" on Netflix.  On Sunday, after we got home, we switched over to "On Demand" and got the rest of the way caught up!  New episode tonight!

Hope you were able to get outside over the weekend.

Tuesday Post-Its

Friday Fragments

  Wow.  Friday already?  Why does time seem to go so fast in the summer?

  I was looking at the butterfly bush next to our porch yesterday.  It has really taken off this year!  I'm going to have to think about transplanting it out in the yard very soon...or whenever it is it's safe to do that without killing it!

I couldn't find a picture of when I first got it, but trust me...waaaay out of hand!

  My little Balloon Plant has really grown, too.

When I first put it in, this is what it looked like:

For some reason, the ground cover to the left of it didn't survive at that spot.  It did, however, thrive at other side of the area.

  This time last year, I was in Germany.  {sigh}  What an amazing trip that was!  I told the German teacher that if he ever needed another adult to go to let me know!  He said he was planning next summer's trip.  I guess I need to work hard at paying off last year's trip before I even seriously consider next year.

  In fact, 06 June was the day we visited Buchenwald, one of the concentration camps.  I just went back and read my post, and felt the feelings I had while I was walking through it.  It's still very emotional, just like I was there yesterday.

  FINALLY:

It's on Netflix TODAY!!!  I thought June would never get here!  Part of the cast was on "Hollywood Game Night" last night.  I'm going to have to limit myself to just 1 episode/day to make it last; and so that I'm not just sitting in front of the tv.

  Have a wonderful weekend!