Tag Archives: Wednesday Hodgepodge

Write it Down Hodgepodge

I’ve jotted it down in my notebook and it’s time for Hodgepodge Wednesday. Joyce asked the questions and we answered them.

1. What surprises you the most about people? 

How little the general population knows about God and the Bible. God and His Word are the source of life and peace and wisdom, just to name a few benefits. Why would we ignore what God has to say to us and what He wants us to know about Him?

2. Would you rather have a chauffeur, nanny, gardener, maid, personal shopper or cook? Tell us why that one? 

Gardener because that is the hardest task of all the ones mentioned for me. My wrists and lower back suffer after a day doing the weeding, etc.

3. May 18th is National Notebook Day. No idea what that means but let’s run with it anyway. What’s something you currently keep in a notebook? Have you seen the movie The Notebook? On a scale of 1-5 how does it rate? (5=a favorite, can watch and re-watch and re-watch again) 

I can’t recall if I have seen The Notebook. I watched the trailer and it looks entertaining but I can’t rate it without watching the whole movie.

I do love notebooks and use one daily for my devotions, prayer lists, Sunday sermon, notes to self, etc.

A quote from my notebook from Sunday February 5th, 2023:

J. I. Packer ~ God Has Spoken

“Faith in the Bible is not, as existentialists make out, a leap in the dark, but rather a step in the light, whereby one puts one’s whole weight on the firm ground of God’s unshakeable promises.”

and

“The promises of God are the ground of faith; for where Christians are not living in the joy of the knowledge that all God’s promises are theirs, the truth is that God’s Word is not being heard.” 

4. Do you like mushrooms? Last dish you made or ate that had mushrooms on the ingredient list? Your favorite dish that calls for mushrooms? 

Yes, we do enjoy mushrooms.

My favorite way to enjoy mushrooms is in a sauce like in this recipe below. Other creamy sauces for topping a steak, etc. are also delicious.

This Polenta with Mushroom Sauce is delicious. Click on link to see the recipe.

We’ve also enjoyed sautéed mushrooms alongside eggs for a not so full-English.

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5. What would you say is the most annoying thing people do in public? 

Talking on their phones using the Speaker option. Oye!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We enjoyed the company of Pastor Dennis and Miss Lori, as our Grands call her, last evening for dinner. They are moving to Iowa for a special calling to teach at Faith Baptist Bible College and theological seminary. We will miss them dearly but know that in their new positions they will be used mightily in teaching the younger generation.

Our church, First Baptist Colville, looks to the promises of God for a new lead Pastor to fill the pulpit soon. It will be a time of growth for us…

 

A Motherly Hodgepodge

Hello and welcome to my blog and another Hodgepodge.

I received an early Mother’s Day present from our kids this past weekend, the framed photo above. I love it and love them!

Time for another Wednesday Hodgepodge in which we answer the questions our hostess with the mostess organizes for us. Thank you Joyce From This Side of the Pond.

1. Did you watch the coronation of King Charles III? Share some of your thoughts about that, or about the royal family in general. 

Yes, and I’m still trying to watch it all. I didn’t record it on our TV but was happy to find it on Brit Box. Love Prince William and family and hope they get to step in soon. Their family unit would be a nice model for the country. Not a fan of Charles and Camilla. Loved Sir Bryn Terfel and his solo in Welsh…amazing. Loved the head pieces that Princess Catherine and Charlotte wore. Prince George and Prince Louis were fun to watch. Looking forward to seeing more details. We were at our son and DIL’s home on Saturday morning and we enjoyed scones while we watched some of the event before we went out for the morning.

2. What are you the uncrowned queen of? 

Uncrowned Queen of One Liners…

3. In a box of chocolates which one do you usually go for? 

Dark chocolate with nuts or a mocha filling or caramel…

4. Something learned at your mother’s knee? 

Belief in the one true LORD God almighty of the Bible.

5. ‘Like mother, like daughter’…in what way is this saying true for you? 

Our mom was a true homemaker and sacrificed a lot to make home a place that was a good and peaceful place to be. I hope that is true of me, too.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

My dear Mom who was called up to heaven in September of 2013.

Dear’s dear Mom was called up to heaven in May of 1997. His father, Rex, was called up in October of 1985 a few months before our Katie was born.

Hijole it’s May Hodgepodge!

These were our rhoddy bushes at our last home in Kenmore, Washington.

Jo From This Side of the Pond has a new bouquet of questions for us to answer this first Hodgepodge of May. Click over to join in the fun. Thank you Jo!

1. What’s something you ‘may’ do this month? 

Gut our master shower and start work on the remodeling of it. That won’t be me alone but the royal we who do this. Mostly he’ll do it and I’ll be his gofer.

2. “All things seem possible in May”~Edwin Way Teale. Do you agree? Elaborate. If not May, then in which month if any would you say all things seem possible? 

I’m more of a get-er-done in October kind of person. For me the merry month of May yields more things to leisurely enjoy.

3. April showers bring May flowers…is this true where you live?

Absolutely true here. We are still in daffodil and tulip mode and soon many different plants will flower.

What’s your favorite color of the rainbow?

I will go with Violet.

Your favorite May bloom?

Rhododendron

Do you enjoy visiting gardens?

Yes! I’ve been fortunate to visit several beautiful gardens like Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island, The gardens at Biltmore in Asheville, The Japanese Gardens in Seattle,  Roozengaarde Tulip Garden in Mt. Vernon Washington State, Descanso Gardens in Flintridge, California, Airlie Gardens in Wilmington N.C. , Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, Hidcote Gardens (Cotswolds), Kiftsgate Court Gardens (Cotswolds) to name a few…

What’s a ‘famous’ garden you’d like to visit? 

Beatrix Potter’s Garden at Hilltop

4. Are you a fan of the Star Wars series of films? If so how many have you seen? (I think there are 12) 

I enjoyed watching the first series in the theater, the first 4. We went to church with George Lucas’s sister when we lived in Huntington Beach. Didn’t really keep up with the last 7 or 8 of them.

Are you a fan of the sci-fi genre in general, in either books or movies? What’s your favorite sci-fi book or movie? 

More a fan of Fantasy. Hubby really enjoys Sci-fi. His favorite author is Isaac Asimov and the favorite series is The Foundation Trilogy.

5. Cinco de Mayo lands on Friday of this week…do you enjoy Mexican food? How often?

We grew up in what I call ‘Northern Mexico’ aka Southern California so we learned to enjoy Mexican food early. I can eat Mexican food several times a week but on average I’d say twice a week.

Do you eat out or make your own?

Both. This week we’ll be eating Mexican food out on Thursday and on Cinco de Mayo!

Your favorite thing to order in a Mexican restaurant?

Depending on the restaurant I enjoy Chile Colorado in a burrito or a chalupa. I also enjoy Enchiladas Suissa.

Have you ever been to Mexico? 

Yes and not to a resort. We went to Tecate to pick up floor tiles for our cousin’s house. Ticate is well East of Tijuana. We have tales to tell about that trip. After we got the tiles in the van the trip back to the Border near Tijuana was dicey. The heavy load necessitated more air in the tires and we called out to the Lord to find somewhere for that air! We made it back on the U.S. side and parked the van there. Then we crossed the Border again taking a taxi to Tijuana for some shopping. After we were done shopping we thought we could walk back to the Border, because we were so cheap. A Tijuana Police car pulled up and told us it was too far to walk to the ‘Border’ and we were escorted back to the U.S. Border by two Tijuana policemen in their police car… My cousin sat between the two policemen in the front seat and Me, Jeanie and Greg were in the back seat. We were a little nervous until we saw the Border crossing. Come over for dinner sometime and we’ll tell you the rest of the story…

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Speaking of gardens…

The gardens at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville N.C. in May of 2014 with our daughter Katie.

Butchart Gardens with our daughter, Katie.

Japanese Gardens in Seattle.

Descanso Gardens in 1988 and 2010, Katie and her cousins.

Roozengaarde in Mount Vernon, Washington State.

Hidcote Gardens in the Cotswolds 2014.

 

So thankful for all the beauty that God created for us to enjoy.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to visit Hodgepodgers soon.

Feed the Birds Hodgepodge

Jo From This Side of the Pond is tweeting out some new questions for us to answer for Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1.  April 26th is National Audubon Day, honoring John James Audubon, the French-American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter known for his detailed study and illustration of birds in their natural habitats.

Do you have a bird feeder? 

Yes, several.

Any birds in your home decor?

A few.

Have you ever owned a pet bird?

Yes, and it’s a sad story I’ve told before. In the 50’s our Pop decided he would get pigeons and he built a pigeon cage for them in our back yard. I had 3 siblings at that time and we all chose one to be our pet. Mine was Green Neck. Things got so dire financially that our pet pigeons ended up in a pot of soup. All of my siblings and myself refused to eat that soup. Our Pop couldn’t understand why. OYE!

The photo above is of our Pop, my older sisters Kathy and Vera and that’s me with a pigeon on my head. I’m guessing it’s Green Neck.

What’s your favorite bird? 

This is tough. I love many birds. The majestic eagle and the hawk are special. I love the look of owls. Hummingbirds are adorable. I’m not a fan of pigeons and won’t let them find a place to roost.

2. What’s something you took to ‘like a duck to water’? 

Blogging.

3. Empty nest, nest egg, proud as a peacock, free as a bird, birds of a feather flock together, or the early bird catches the worm…choose one and tell us how it currently applies to your life. 

I’ll go with the early bird catches the worm because lately I’m finding myself awake at 5am and by 9am it seems like I’ve gotten all I need to get done, done.

4. Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds…your favorite seed and a favorite food or dish made with that seed or topped with that seed?

Sunflower seeds first and pumpkin seeds come in second, roasted and lightly salted in the shells.

Have you tried all the seeds on the list?

I don’t think I’ve tried flax or chia.

Any you don’t care for? 

All are fine in limited quantities, except for sunflower seeds. I can crack and eat a whole bag of sunflower seeds!

5. Something in the past week that made you ‘happy as a lark’?

We took the plunge and are trying out a new satellite internet service. Waiting for one last mount before we are good to go. If you don’t see me next week you’ll know something went wrong. Where we live in the country our only good option is a satellite service.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We are warming up the rest of this week and finally have mornings above freezing. We had our first walk on the Rotary Trail on Saturday morning and are looking forward to this trek a few times a week.

Today is a busy day with a 7am appointment for new tires on the car, an 8:30 appointment with the doctor, 9am Prayer meeting and then the window washers are coming in the late afternoon. Hooray for clean windows!

Our shadows on the trail last Saturday.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to be around to visit soon.

Pass the Torch Hodgepodge

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It’s Hodgepodge time again and Joyce is celebrating Hodgepodge #500!! Congratulations to Joyce and Hodgepodgers everywhere. Click over to join in the fun.

1. Last time you drove/flew 500 miles (ish)? What’s a place you’d like to visit that lies approximately 500 miles from your current location? 

In December of 2022 we drove to Abbotsford, B.C. Via Bothell Washington and once we arrived in Abbotsford we drove on to Chilliwack with friends for our Mennonite Girls Can Cook Christmas party. That was just under 500 miles worth of driving.

It would be a nice vacation with Family to stay at Cannon Beach on the Oregon Coast for a few days and enjoy the sand and sea just beyond our doorstep. Cannon Beach is 500 miles from us.

2. Tell us about a time recently it felt like you were ‘racing against the clock’. 

Being retired and older I don’t race much. I have felt the need to clear out things and let things go before our kids have to sort through it all.

3. Have you ever attended any really large sporting events?

Yes!

What was your impression of the experience?  

We have enjoyed memorable experiences at some large sporting events. I attended my first Rose Bowl Game on January 2nd in 1967 (USC v. Purdue). The Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game are always on New Year’s Day unless that day lands on a Sunday. When January 1st lands on a Sunday the parade and game are moved to Monday. My second Rose Bowl Game was in 1992 when Greg was a student at the University of Washington and the Huskies played at the Rose Bowl against Michigan. The Huskies won this game which made the experience very exciting.

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In 1984 the Summer Olympics were hosted by Los Angeles and we were able to get tickets to some rowing events at Lake Casitas. The most exciting part of these Olympic Games was the fact that my husband Greg was able to represent his company as an Olympic Torch Bearer!

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In 1994 our sons got tickets for World Cup games in Los Angeles and Stanford. The USA was hosting that year. The photo above was at the Rose Bowl for one of the games we attended.

Dan and I attended Brazil v Camaroon at Stanford Stadium. Attire was colorful and the party atmosphere was very lively. Both those countries know how to celebrate.

We were able to track down where the US team was staying and training and our sons met every player on the team and got all their autographs. That’s Alexi Lalas with our sons. That’s not a cigarette in his mouth.

When Dear and I were traveling with Josh and Laura in England in 2013, Josh got us tickets to a Manchester United game v. Crystal Palace at Old Trafford. That was a great time! Josh also made it into an Arsenal game on that trip.

The Superbowl, The Kentucky Derby, The World Series, FIFA World Cup, The Indianapolis 500, The Daytona 500, The Olympics, The Masters, Wimbledon, The Boston Marathon, March Madness, Tour de France, Monaco’s Grand Prix, The Open (golf), The Ryder Cup, The Stanley Cup Finals..of the events listed which would you most like to attend in person? Or maybe one that’s not listed? 

Fifa World Cup, it will be hosted by the USA/Canada/and Mexico in 2026.

4. Are you an iced tea drinker? If so, do you drink it year round, or only in the spring and summer months? Do you make your own or buy it bottled? Sweet or unsweet? Flavored? Lemon or no lemon? How about a Long Island Iced Tea? 

Not a usual for me. If I do have an iced tea it would be lightly sweetened with some fresh lemon squeeze or the last variety.

5. April 20th is Volunteer Recognition Day…do you volunteer in some way? Tell us about it. If not, tell us about a volunteer you appreciate. 

I volunteer at church under Women’s Ministry. I’m the branch leader of Hospitality serving the church family in planning, supplying, and carrying out fellowship opportunities involving the entire church body. Responsibilities include: Maintaining the kitchen and supplies. Helping with food serving and cleanup for church events like potlucks, Easter brunch, pie and praise, and funerals.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We celebrated our grandson’s 4th birthday this past Saturday. We had a T-Rex crash the party and we had a cute dinosaur and delicious dinosaur cake. If you want to see more of the surprise T-Rex entry click here.

I’ll be sharing more from JJ’s Dino-wonderful party on Friday.

Thanks for stopping by for #500!

Time is Passing Hodgepodge

The two guys in this photo above celebrate birthdays this week.

Thank you Joyce From This Side of the Pond for Wednesday Hodgepodge! Click over to join in the fun.

1. April 13th is National Scrabble Day…are you a fan? 

Yes, I enjoy Scrabble. Haven’t played in ages!

Do you enjoy word games in general? 

Yes, mostly.

What’s an eight letter word that tells us something about your life currently?

Peculiar; unusual, or particular or special. We are heading into a period of hospitality at our Country Bungalow that does not involve biological family. We are confident that it will be a blessing as we adjust in the month of May and into part of June.

2.  Do you have a junk drawer? Is it full? Do you know what’s in it? What’s in it? 

Yes, yes, and yes. It’s full of things like keys, tape measures, charging wires, and junk! Thank you so much for this question as it caused me to clean out that junk drawer and make it more useable!

3. When does time pass quickly for you? When does it pass slowly? 

When our family is all together, time passes quickly.

Time passes slowly when I’m awake in the night at 2am and not able to get back to sleep.

4. These eight vegetables are in season during spring-asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, celery, collard greens, garlic, herbs. What’s your favorite? Any on the list you refuse to eat? Last one on the list you ate? 

Favorite would probably be carrots. I wouldn’t refuse any of these but I’m not a fan of collard greens. On Monday we had some asparagus, carrots and new potatoes roasted.

5. What’s the oldest thing you own? Tell us about it. 

Dear has a French Violin from the 1700’s. That is old and probably the oldest thing in our home. Dear’s dad got it from someone when Dear was 10 or 11 and decided he wanted to take violin lessons. Dear’s dad Rex has always acquired interesting things. Our baby grand piano which we got from Dear’s folks is over a hundred years old.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

This little guy turns 4 this weekend and we will celebrate him with Dinosaurs. Time flies when you have Grands!!

All of our kids will be together this weekend and on Friday evening we’ll start things off celebrating our Son-in-law’s birthday which happens to be today. Happy Birthday Andrew. Can’t wait to celebrate you on Friday!

Thankful that you stopped by to read this post and leave a comment.

Easter Week Hodgepodge

Happy Easter Week Hodgepodgers and thank you Joyce for the questions. Find Wednesday Hodgepodge here.

1.What would you say is the most difficult task when it comes to spring cleaning? Have you completed that task this year? Any plans to get it done?

I would say that the most difficult task is washing the windows and screens inside and out. We have not completed this task but we have the window washing guy coming on April 26th and I will gladly pay him to do the task.

2. Your favorite pastel color? Favorite thing you own in a pastel shade? 

I really enjoy the combination of pink and green. My Moss Rose dishes by Royal Albert are a favorite thing that I own.

3. Do you like ham? Do you fix ham year round or is it mostly just a ‘holiday food’? Baked ham-ham and eggs-ham and cheese sandwich-scalloped potatoes and ham-Hawaiian pizza….what’s your pleasure? 
I was brought up mostly Kosher because of a religion my family was part up until my teen years. After we left that religion I enjoyed some pork products, mostly bacon. Dear ate some pork products growing up but not much Ham. These days if we eat pork products it’s mostly bacon and Canadian bacon that would be our go to. We really enjoy Eggs Benedict so that is where the nice round thicker Canadian bacon comes into play. Pork Shoulder on the Traeger for Pulled pork sandwiches is something we enjoy, too. We are not fans of pineapple on a pizza.
4. Do you celebrate Easter? 
Easter is my favorite holiday with Christmas coming in a very close second.
What did Easter look like when you were a kid?
A new dress and white patent leather shoes to wear to church on Easter. A wonderful meal of lamb, rice pilaf and cucumber/tomato salad. Hard boiled dyed Easter eggs that we would crack on each other’s heads. Our mom’s delicious Kulich and Seernaya Paska (Russian Easter Bread with a sweet cheese spread) for dessert.
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What are your plans for Easter this year? 
This year like every year we will attend an Easter service. Our church in Colville has an Easter brunch at church before the Easter service so I will be busy with that since I’m in charge. We will go up to our kid’s home after church for a meal and to watch the Grands on an Easter Egg hunt.

5. Something that makes you feel hopeful amidst all the chaos and confusion this world brings? 

The message of Easter, that Jesus conquered the power of sin by His perfect sacrifice and was raised from the dead which is what makes me hopeful no matter what. I’m a sinner. Jesus died on the cross for sinners. I couldn’t pay the price for my sin but Jesus did. “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” Even though God’s justice demands death for sin, His love provided a Savior who paid the penalty and died for sinners. Christ’s death satisfied the demands of God’s justice, and Christ’s perfect life satisfied the demands of God’s holiness, thereby enabling Him to forgive and save those who place their faith in Him.

Even in the chaos God is in control and we know the end of the story. God will bring us through any suffering we have to go through on this earth and our hope is in our eternity in heaven with Him because we put our faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Easter two years ago.

I’ll be gone all day today so I’ll be late in coming around to visit your Hodgepodge posts.

And the Blog Goes On Hodgepodge

Joyce From This Side of the Pond asks the questions for us to answer and get our brains engaged with Wednesday Hodgepodge. Thank you, Joyce.

Camarillo is where I started blogging. We were close to the Pacific Ocean and enjoyed many hikes along the coast. The photo above is from Sycamore Canyon just south of Point Mugu and north of Malibu in California. This was in the Santa Monica mountain range.

1.Why do you blog? Have your reasons changed over time? 

I started blogging in March of 2007 when we lived in a very small condo in California for a couple of years and I had lots of time on my hands. I enjoyed the weekly challenges like Blue Monday, Ruby Tuesday, ABC Wednesday, Tablescape Thursday, Friday Fave Five and many others. It was also good to journal the events going on in our lives and our family life. Through blogging I’ve met so many good friends over the years. Some I’ve been privileged to meet in person and others I cherish without ever meeting them face to face. Through blogging I became one of the Mennonite Girls Can Cook. What a joy that has been. It’s a creative outlet for me and lately has turned out to be a great tool for recall in my lapses of memory.

2. What’s a typical Friday night look like at your house?

Typically it is pretty boring unless we have our local kids over for dinner or if it’s a weekend that our Westside kids drive over.

3. Do you like donuts? Yes.

Your favorite kind? Cinnamon twist or maple bar or Jelly or Glazed or….

How often do you treat yourself to a donut? Not often but every time I step into Super 1 (one of our local grocery stores) and the donut aroma hits me I’m tempted.

Have you ever made homemade donuts? No

4. How do you feel about shopping? I like to shop when I have something in particular that I’m looking for.

Are you an online shopper? Only because I have to, not because I enjoy it.

Catalog shopper? Rarely

Brick and mortar shopper? Yes, because I like to see something and hold it in my hands before I buy it.

Do you order groceries online or prefer to select items with your own two hands? No online grocery shopping. I like to check dates on the products and make sure I’m getting the freshest loaf of bread, etc.

5. Next week’s Hodgepodge finds us somehow in the month of April, which just so happens to be National Poetry Month. Sum up (or tell us something about) your month of March in the form of a limerick. You can do it!! 

We celebrate March with cake
Not too early or late we bake
One young, one old
With joy behold
We celebrate March with Cake

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Our two family birthdays in March are 6 days apart, one in Winter and one in Spring. I’m the old one and the oldest one in our family of ten. Addy is the young one but not the youngest in our family. So thankful that we can celebrate each other. So much joy to behold. We’ll celebrate two more in April, the youngest of the males in our family. Birthdays celebrated four days apart and birthyears 30 years apart.

I Still Call It Easter Break Hodgepodge

Time again to answer Joyce’s questions for Wedneday Hodgepodge. 

1. We’re in to a season students call ‘spring break’. Did you/your family travel over spring breaks when you were growing up?  Tell us something about a ‘spring break’ you remember (from childhood or adulthood, either one). 

Growing up in the 50’s and 60’s we always had Easter break. I forget when it was changed to Spring break. I’m not sure if we had the full week leading up to Easter off or starting on Good Friday for a full week. My family did not travel over Easter holidays. My mother was too busy baking Kulich (Russian Easter Bread) and making Seernaya Paska and sewing Easter dresses to go off galavanting. 🙂 We would fast on Good Friday and then attend a Good Friday evening service and when the service was over we would break our fast together with a meal at church. On Easter Sunday we would all dress up in our Easter finery and celebrate Jesus Christ’s Resurrection and come home to a luncheon of Lamb with colored Easter eggs and of course the delicious Russian Easter Bread for dessert.

In 1997 I had an epic road trip during our kids’ ‘Spring Break’ to Southern California. Dear was working but our two sons and daughter, our oldest son’s girlfriend (whom he married in 2001) and our middle son’s best friend, joined me as we traveled down I-5 with stops in Yuba City (at Dear’s mom’s condo) and then to our destination in Yorba Linda at my Mom and Pop’s home.  Our oldest son was accepted to Westmont College in Montecito (Santa Barbara) and would be attending there come August so we made a trip there on one of our days. We had beach days, cousin days, a Disneyland day and Baba and Dzeda days before we headed home stopping in Clovis (at my cousin’s home), and Yuba city to have one more visit with Gommy (Dear’s mom). That stop and visit on April 18th/19th was the last time we would have with Gommy as she died on May 6th of that year, unexpectedly. Collages at the end of this post are from this epic road trip to Southern California. The photo at the top of the post was from this road trip, too.

3. March 7th is National Cereal Day…are you a fan? What’s your favorite? If not cereal what’s your favorite breakfast? Your typical breakfast? 

I do enjoy breakfast cereals like Raisin Bran, Frosted Mini Wheats and Granola. My favorite breakfast is our family traditional meal of Swedish Pancakes and little smokies because we are all sitting around the table enjoying that breakfast together. If we eat breakfast at a restaurant I enjoy Eggs Benedict.

A typical breakfast would be high fiber cereal with blueberries or toast with avocado.

4. Break ground, break of dawn, break down, break the bank, break one’s stride, break the ice, break a law, break a habit, break bread…choose one of the idioms listed and tell us how it applies to your life currently. 

I’m in the throws of trying to break the habit of going up on the scale after I’ve gone down on the scale. So far so good. The up and down and up again has been a yearly habit so it would be nice to break that cycle this year and stay on the low end.

5. Where do you go to connect with friends and family? What do you like to do most when you’re home alone? 

Because of our moves later in life I’m disconnected from my longer established friendships. We’ve been in our current country location for 4 years and we are establishing new friends. We go to church to connect with friends. We connect with family and friends in our home or in their homes. I’m thankful for friends and family that come visit and stay overnight. Also thankful for trips to see friends and family.

I’m a list maker so when I’m at home alone I like to tick off my list. I like to have at least one day a week where my calendar has nothing on it and I can wile away the morning in my jammies and robe.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

March is my birthday month and this part of our state is not ideal for travel on my birthday, usually. We are re-thinking a night away and postponing that to the beginning of May, Lord willing. We’ll check the weather and try to get down to Spokane for a nicer meal than we would get in Colville on my birthday but time will tell. We also want to get to Spokane to see ‘Jesus Revolution’ while it is still in theaters. Growing up in Southern California we had experience with the Jesus People at Calvary Chapel (the original one) and want to see how it’s been portrayed in this film. Have any of you seen the movie?

~

April 12th we traveled in a rented van from Bothell to Yorba Linda. We made a rest stop to kick the soccer ball around. If I remember correctly we stopped in Yuba City for an overnight (or maybe that was an overnight on the way home) before we made it to Yorba Linda. Cousins came to visit us at Baba and Dzeda’s house on the 13th. On the 14th we headed to the Huntington Beach where our rented van broke down. I worked on getting that remedied while the kids enjoyed the beach.

On the 15th we drove to Santa Barbara (Montecito) and visited Debbee (cousin/niece) and to check out the campus that Josh would be attending.

On the 16th we had more cousin time playing card games.

On the 17th we had a Disneyland day with my sister and a cousin Melissa.

On the 18th we hit the road with stops planned in Clovis to visit cousins and then in Yuba City to see Gommy again.

Marching Forward Hodgepodge

Our back acres taken yesterday morning. It snowed much of the day.

Joyce From This Side of the Pond has the questions ready for Wednesday Hodgepodge. Marching forward…

1. Hello March! Is it coming in like a lion where you live?

We are having light snow showers so I’d say not so much like a lion. It’s typical for this time of year here.

How do you feel when it rains? It depends. If it hasn’t rained for a while it’s nice to hear the pitter patter on the roof. If it’s the 5th day in a row of rain I long for a dry sunny day.

2. What’s something you’d like to do differently this week than the last? Explain. 
We are supposed to avoid inflammatory foods so I’d like to cut out some of those and replace them with something healthier for us.
3. March 1st is National Sunkist Citrus Day…do you drink orange juice?
I do enjoy a glass of orange juice but not on a regular basis.
Orange, lemon, lime, tangerine, grapefruit…what’s your favorite citrus fruit?
As a fruit to eat it’s a toss-up between an orange or tangerine. Lemon is very versatile in baking and for salad dressings, etc. Limes for guacamole and a G & T. Grapefruit juice might just be my favorite to drink. One of Dear’s new medications has a warning for him not to have grapefruit anything.
A dish you love with a citrus fruit as one of it’s key ingredients? 
I really can’t come up with a dish but I do enjoy lemon curd.
4. What do you consider to be your culture. Elaborate. 
What best describes my culture is ‘Conservative Christian’. Being a follower of Jesus Christ has the most significant influence on the things I choose to do, wear, say, read, enjoy. Praying I represent my culture better each day.
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I could also say that I used to be a ‘city girl’ but in the last 4 years I’ve become a ‘country gal’ because of the huge difference in the area I live in now. My wardrobe has taken on more boots and snow appropriate clothes.
5. Sum up your February in fifteen words or less. 
Losing the same ten pounds again this year that I gained back last year, OYE!
6. Insert your own random thought here. 
I came across this little quote that maybe I should tape to my bathroom mirror…
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“Taste your words before you serve them.” 
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I’m looking forward to seeing some Spring green and color hopefully by the end of March.