Just some Snippets

I don't really have a post planned for today so I will just catch you up on a few things that are going on around my house.


Remember when I told you that my brother was here visiting and getting his house ready to auction? While he was here he went through most of the stuff left in his house that he didn't want to take to Louisiana. Things he was leaving for the auction. There was a large tub of afghans his wife had knitte (or crocheted) . I couldn't believe he wasn't going to take them. But he said he had kept several of his favorites. She has specifically made ones for their kids, the spouses, and the grandchildren. I just couldn't see something so special going to complete strangers. So they came to our house. (Maybe that's why Justin thinks I'm a hoarder!)

The bottom was is huge and lacy!

Harley cabbaged on to this as a bed cover

Gorgeous! My favorite is the second one. Purple!

 

I was going through the coat closet this week and found the 'almost' brand new pair of leather gloves with rabbit fur lining Justin brought for Richard a few years back. He hadn't worn them that much because he was saving them for 'dress'. He WAS the hoarder at our house. Anyway, I gave them to Darian and he is in heaven. Here he sits watching TV with them on. I promised him we wouldn't laugh!!

 

 

I love how he glows in the lamplight!

 

 



Lastly, I've done a bit of coloring this week. If you haven't tried adult coloring yet, you should. So relaxing!!

 

 

Had to share this too! Harley is painting a self-portrait in her art class and this is the form she will follow. I like it just the way it is!

I am still feeling crappy. I feel better during the day and then as night comes I get stuffed up and my face begins to ache. I have been crazy with the sneezing. I am drugged up with allergy meds. And saturated with fluids. And out of Kleenex for the moment. Damn! I'll have to go to the store tomorrow! Guess who is going in for me??


What snippets are going on with you? Care to share!

Have a wonderful weekend! We will be celebrating a special young man turning 18!!

Thursday's Question

??????????????????

 

 

 

 

How much would it take for you to eat a bowl of crickets??

 

$20,000, $40,000,

more

Or

Less?

 

 



Hodgepodge Wednesday

1. Share a winter memory from your childhood. 

 

I remember going to ride the sled down Cherry Hill in my hometown. We walked what seemed like miles to get there. Carrying or dragging a sled with us. Then we flew down that hill, which was so steep I was sure we would flip end over end.  We trudged, through the snow, back up that enormous hill to do it all over again and again. Years later, as an adult mom, I took my kids to see Cherry Hill. Not only was it not miles from my house (more like blocks) but it was hardly a hill so to speak. Everything looks much bigger from the eyes of a child!

2. What was on your blog this time last year? (Besides the Hodgepodge of course!) If you weren't blogging, what in the world were you doing with all that free time? 

Last year, at this time, on my blog I was writing books reviews (Still Alice) and My Simple Woman's Daybook entry (talking about my Valentine Mantle, Darian's birthday, my mom's birthday, and the weather. Much like the post I just completed. Different times though. And I wrote a post about shoes for Ten on Tuesday. I had not yet discovered The Hodgepodge! I'd probably get lots more house cleaning done if I didn't blog. But, I would rather blog. Who wouldn't?


 3. Ellen Goodman is quoted as saying, 'We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives...not looking for flaws, but for potential.' 

Do you see more flaws or more potential in your life at the start of a new year? Have you done anything specific this month to address either one? Does the new year truly begin for you on January 1, or is there some other month of the year that feels like a fresh start and new beginning?

I usually see more potential in my life at the beginning of the year. I love the beginning of the year. It is like getting a new notebook to write it. I like to sniff the pages, fold the cover back, and contemplate how I will fill the pages. That is what I think about January. I like to think of my goals for the year. How will I accomplish them? And how I will move on if I don't accomplish them. Yes, I am fulfilling my goals so far. For the month of January I hit every single goal I made. Yay for me! Now I need to plan for February's goals.


 4. Who's an athlete you admire or respect and why?

This is rather sad but I cannot think of a single athlete that I admire or respect. They all seem so over-paid and self-centered. I am not really into sports so the ones I hear about are the ones who are all over social media. My late husband adored Tiger Woods. He loved everything about his story. Until he didn't! I remember how sad it made Richard when Tiger fell from grace. And it didn't have anything to do with golf!


 5. Do you like cream in your coffee? Whipped cream on your pumpkin pie? Cream cheese on a bagel? Sour cream on a baked potato? Cream of wheat for breakfast? Have you ever had a scone with clotted cream? Of all the creamy foods mentioned, which one sounds most appealing to you right this very minute?


I drink French Vanilla cream in my coffee every single day. I am not a big fan of pumpkin pie, but it would need to have whipped cream on it if I were to eat it! Yes, to cream cheese on a bagel and sour cream on a baked potato. One of my favorite memories on each of our cruise trips was the 'creamy' cream of wheat served for breakfast. I did have a scone with clotted cream for tea on a cruise ship once! The one that sounds appealing to me right now is the baked potato. I never, and I mean never, turn down sour cream!!


 6. Where were you last kept waiting for 'hours on end'? Or for what felt like hours on end? How well did you cope?

I don't cope well with waiting. Not hours on end. Not what feels like hours on end. I have spoken up 'loudly' at the doctor's office when I have waited longer than what I thought was necessary. I think anything over a 30 minute wait past your appointment time (unless it is an emergency) is unnecessary. Usually it is because they have booked too many appointments into one time slot. And don't ask my grands what I think about 'pulling forward' at McDonald's to wait for a SIMPLE drink order!



 7. Believe it or not, when next week's Hodgepodge rolls around it will be February. Huh?!? Bid adieu here to January in seven words or less.

Goodbye January! You flew by so fast!


 8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I started with a head cold yesterday and feel like "poop"! Hope it doesn't last long! Have a great Wednesday friends!

I will link with Joyce From This Side of the Pond. It's fun! Join us!!

My Simple Woman's Daybook-January 25th Edition

For Today... 

 

Today is Monday, January 25, 2016. Is anyone else screaming..."What??? How can it almost be the end of January?"

 

Outside my window...

 

Today is overcast. No sun shining! I crave sunshine. I need sunshine. But it is 33 degrees. That is a bit better than what we have been having. Sadly, the wind is blowing. So that gives us a wind chill of 25 degrees. And there is 76% humidity! I'm not pouting though. It could be a lot worse.

 

 

I am pondering...

 

I am pondering the snowfall totals back east. My goodness. I don't even know how people start to dig out of a mess like that! 42 inches of snow in West Virginia!! Wow! That is a lot of snow! So who am I to whine because the sun isn't shining??

I am hearing...

 

I am hearing the news in the background. Politics as usual! Donald saying dumb things and Hillary replying. And now we have Mr. Bloomberg wanting to throw his name into the race. The rest of the news is about snow and ice! And people shooting each other. We need good news, people! 

 

 

 

I am creating...

 

I have finished my Valentine's Day decorating! Look below for the pictures!

On my camera...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Found on Facebook...


 

 

 

 

I am reading...

I am still reading Bad Feminist and Pop Goes the Weasel. My brother from Louisiana was here all last week. He left on Friday morning and Paige and Justin came on Friday afternoon. Therefore, I didn't do much reading last week. After this is posted I am going to get into my recliner and spend the afternoon with my Nook!!

 

Moving Forward...

 

 

I am learning...


This week's memory verse

 

 

In my backyard...

 

 

 

In my kitchen...

Monday...Mexican Casserole
 

Tuesday...Hamburgers and fries
 

Wednesday...Kids will eat at church
 

Thursday...Pork Tenderloin with roasted potatoes
 

Friday...Taco Soup
 

Saturday...Tater Tot Casserole
 

Sunday...Happy Birthday Darian!! Going out to eat

 

A favorite quote for today...


This is a week of birthdays at our house. Today my oldest granddaughter (Darian and Harley's oldest sister) turns 25!! Tomorrow is my mom's birthday. She would have turned 93. On Wednesday, my step-dad would have been 89! And the biggest of all is Sunday. Darian will turn 18!! Happy Birthday to all of you!
 

A peek into my week...

Monday...No practices tonight so everyone will be home early on the bus
Tuesday...BB practice for Harley
Wednesday...kids have youth group at church
Thursday...Marine Babies for Darian. BB practice for Harley. And Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away With Murder return from their winter hiatus.
Friday...Harley has BB practice
Saturday...Paige and Justin will be here
Sunday...taking Darian out to eat for his birthday!!

 

One of my favorite things...

One of my favorite things is surprising my grandchildren on their birthday. Shhhhh can't give away the surprise!

 

Post Script....

I am going to join Peggy at The Simple Woman's Blog. A fun time checking with the others to see what their week looks like. Won't you join us?

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American Diversity

 I will admit at the very beginning of this post I am not an actor. I am not even employed at any type of job. I suppose you could call me retired! I am not considered middle age any longer by the standards used in the United States of American. And I don't qualify to be Middle-Class, if the middle class average income is $51,700 per year. I am a white, retired, low-income woman who is going to talk about the diversity of the Academy Awards. Now that you know where I stand I can tell you how I feel.

Winning an Oscar should be because you were the best, of the best. I do not think it should be based on your skin color. The same as I don't believe people should be hired based on their skin color, their sexual preferences, or their wealth. People should win Oscars, Emmys, music awards or any other kind of award based on their talent.

I was reading that there are more than 6,000 voters for the Oscar. Those people are made up of people who are in the movie-making business. Actors, directors, extras, producers and etc. If the make-up of the members of the Academy reflects on the diversity of the United States then I am sure there are more white members than black members, than Mexican members and so on. That is just the way it is.

How should we enforce diversity? Or should we? While I can sympathize with Will Smith's wife because her husband was not nominated for an award this year I cannot empathize with an actor who is worth more than $240 Million (that is Will Smith's worth according to Forbes). Or Spike Lee's estimated worth of more than $40 Million. The whole controversy makes me mad. How can we ever make this country a true melting pot if we still have people that are expecting to be treated differently. 

On the other side of the coin I cannot imagine what kind of controversy would be stirred if certain athletes decided to boycott the NBA or the NFL due to the lack of diversity. See how silly that would be?

American people need to drop the labels and just become Americans. Not Black Americans or White Americans or Mexican Americans. Just Americans.  I am rarely known as a white, middle-aged, low income woman. I am just me! Can't that be the title we use for all people. Isn't it time we drop the labels.    

 

My Simple Woman's Daybook-Janaury 18th Edition

For Today... 

Today is Monday, January 18, 2016. It's almost 3:00 in the afternoon here at my house. I am late getting around to doing my daybook. My brother is here visiting from Louisiana. He's getting his house here ready to sell.

Outside my window...

Outside my window the sun is shining and the sky is a beautiful, clear blue. However; it is cold! Like is very cold. Currently is 24 degrees. Was closer to 10 degrees during the night. We had a smattering of snow yesterday that turned the ground white. But it is all gone today. Hope it stays gone.

I am pondering...

 

Darian will soon turn 18! I will no longer be his legal guardian. Just his grandma. And, okay, since he still lives with me, I will still tell him what to do! I am pondering what to do for his birthday! Ideas??

I am hearing...

I am hearing the TV show Cops! My brother is channel surfing at the moment.

 

I am creating...

I am creating a banner for my fireplace for Valentine's Day. I have downloaded my banner from Penniwigs. She makes some pretty awesome graphics. Thank you Dame!!

On my camera...

 

 

Found on Facebook...

This is wonderful! You will smile, I promise!


 

I am reading...

I am still reading Pop Goes The Weasel by Mj. Arlidge and Bad Feminist: Essays by Roxane Gay

 

 

Moving Forward...

 

 

I am learning...

I have began my memorizing of Matthew 6.

               

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Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. "Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward

 

In my backyard...

We threw some old stale potato chips into the backyard today for the birds. Soon we had a small flock of turkeys (all jakes) gobbling up every single one of those chips. BBQ and Doritos were high on the menu plan today!!

 

 

In my kitchen...
 

Monday...Beef Stew
 

Tuesday...Hamburgers & Fries
 

Wednesday...Kids at church
 

Thursday...Pizza
 

Friday...Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
 

Saturday...Make your own Tacos
 

Sunday...Crockpot Lasagna

 

A favorite quote for today...

 

 

A peek into my week...


Tuesday....Going with my brother to sort through some things at his house before they auction it off
Wednesday...take the kids to youth group
Thursday...Marine Babies for Darian. NO BB practice for Harley
Friday...brother leaving for Louisiana. NO BB practice for Harley.
Saturday and Sunday...no plans yet

One of my favorite things...


One of my favorite things in the winter is hot soups and a glass of wine!

 

Post Script....


I will be joining the nice group at The Simple Woman's Blog. Won't you come and join us sometime??

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