Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. 'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.' How does this saying ring true in your own family, either the one you grew up in or the one you made? 

My youngest daughter is like me when it comes to sports.  I would get so loud (Obnoxious)  when daughter played basketball.  My youngest daughter is just like me when watching her boys play sports.  A referee asked daughter if I was fed gun powder because I stayed on the referees/umpires the entire game. Not only would I be loud, but I would get so nervous before her games and so is daughter.  Funny is daughter says she never thought she would be so loud like me.  

But...I am not loud when the Grandboys play sports maybe it is because daughter drowns me out!

2. Something you're nuts about these days? How about something that's driving you nuts? 

I am nuts about my grandsons!!  

The state of Virginia is driving me nuts when it comes to education.  In the state of Virginia, students are required to take the Standards of Learning (SOL) Test and they must pass a certain amount in order to receive a diploma.  The cutoff score is 400, 500 is advanced and 600 is a perfect score.  Well, the state has decided to up the 400 score!!!  I am livid!!  As a teacher, I am working my behind off !!  So many students cannot read and do basic math, so not only am I teaching my grade level the curriculum set forth by the state but I am also teaching below grade level content.  And so many students come from low income families and fend for themselves when

 they get home.  I can go on and on and on....but need to stop.

3. What does abundance mean to you? 

Abundance means to me, focusing on what I have and expressing gratitude for all I have. Abundance doesn't necessarily mean money (but money is nice) but also friends, health, and generosity. I love my friends (and some friends are closer than other) and enjoy their company.  I am so grateful for my health.  So many people my age are having health problems.  I still enjoy mowing (I push mow a lot) and exercising.  My garden did well this year; I was able to give some vegetables away.  

Abundance doesn't have to always mean financial status, but other things as well.

Pretty soon I will have an abundance of leaves!!!!  but I need to keep being thankful I still have my health to take care of all the leaves that will be falling.

4. Caramel apple-caramel cake-caramel corn-caramel sundae-caramel macchiatto...what's your caramel treat of choice? 

Caramel macchiato please.  I have always had my coffee just plain/black.  Here lately, I have been adding caramel macchiato and it is so good.

5. What's a childhood memory that always comes to mind as the leaves start to fall? 

I didn't have any large trees in my yard growing up, so I missed out on jumping in a pile of leaves.

I remember going to pick up walnuts that had fallen.  We would put them in a sack and then run over the sack with a car.  I can still hear the crunch. Our hands were jet black when we finished hulling the walnuts.  But the conversations around this was so memorable.  We actually talked about life and had a few laughs.  Sometimes my grandfather would build a fire, and we would sit outside hulling the walnuts. 

6. Insert. your own random thought here. 

I am still in shock!!!  Back in the summer, I cancelled my Comcast subscription that included over 150 channels.  I am not much a TV person; I enjoy reading, and besides there isn't many TV shows worth interesting.  I have a fire stick and watch other 'stuff'.  Anyway, I packaged up all the equipment and sent it by UPS.  This was the first of August.  Yesterday, I get this huge bill in my box, yep, from Comcast!!  Quick as I got home Tuesday, I gave them a call.  I was expecting to keep repeating representative/agent to the voice recording, but I didn't.  I began loading the dishwasher while I was on hold because I just knew I would be on hold for an hour or so.  Nope, the agent was right on the phone after about 5 minutes.  I explained the situation to her and told her I had the receipt when I shipped it all UPS and would gladly give her the tracking number.  This was necessary and after about 20 minutes, the bill was wiped clean.  I asked for an email and a text confirming this because you just don't know.  This was the first time I didn't have to wait an hour or be on the phone with a representative/agent for an hour or longer!  So happy for me.

Have a great rest of the week and Enjoy Life!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What's your favorite fall scent? Would we find this in or around your home right now? 

Pumpkin Spice   This scent is definitely in my house right now!

2. October is Country Music Month...are you a fan of country music? Do you have a favorite country artist? Ever been to Nashville? In terms of lifestyle are you more country mouse or city mouse? 

I am in the so-so- category fan of country music. My favorite country artist is Keith Urban.  Not only do I think he is good looking, but he sings country with a little bit of rock twist.  My favorite song by him is "Somebody Like You."

I have been to Nashville and currently planning a trip there with some friends. 

My lifestyle is more like a country mouse,but I am happy when in the city.

3. How about 'country cooking'? (loosely defined as rich flavors, familiar foods, large portions, often fried, and often associated with the southern region of the US of A)? 

chicken and dumplings-fried chicken-shrimp and grits-biscuits and gravy-mac and cheese-fried green tomatoes-cornbread-collard or turnip greens-deviled eggs-'barbecue'-gumbo-banana pudding 

Which of the foods listed is your favorite? Any on the list you haven't tried or would say a firm no thank you to if offered? 

Chicken and dumplings is my favorite.  A definite NO to any type of grits and biscuits and gravy.

4. What's something that always has a positive impact on your mood? 

Always Grandboys!!!  I can have the worst day ever and just hearing from the grandboys are seeing them makes my worst day disappear.

A close second and third is Sunshine and Exercise.  When the sun is shining, it lifts my spirits.  Exercise helps me feel better all around.  Of course, there are days when I really have to talk myself into exercising.

5. As we say so long to September share a noun, a verb, and an adjective that tells us something about how that month looked for you. 

Football games

Standing, clapping, yelling

Jam-packed days

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

A busy, fun weekend!

Thursday evening, we sat up for the 71st Apple Festival.  Last year, the first year EVER it was cancelled due to Hurricane Helene and this year we wanted to make it spectacular.  

  

Vendors began coming on Thursday and getting all set up.  We had 85 vendors in all!!

I was back at the festival by 9:30 Friday morning.  The theme of this year's festival was 'Apple Roots Run Deep'  My previous daughter opened up her own pharmacy, Chilhowie Drug Store.  The new owner put a float in the parade.

My precious daughter is in the center of the heart.  This made me smile, but also brought few tears to my eyes.

I didn't go to the parade (first parade I had missed since going in 1982) because the twins had football games.

  After the football game, I was back at the festival.  

Then the grandboys wanted to spend the night.

(Sorry about the leg and foot!)

Sunday, the festival was jammed packed.  The grandboys got to ride the train

They were ready to leave after the train ride; crafts didn't interest them too much.

The festival ended at 5:30 Sunday afternoon.  I was there till closing, helping the vendors pack up, and stacking tables, etc.  It was a beautiful festival and so glad!

Have a Great Rest of the Week and Enjoy Life!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Fall officially rolls into the Northern Hemisphere on Monday (9/22)...what's your favorite thing about fall? 

My favorite thing about fall is how beautiful the trees become, smelling the smoke from a campfire, and a little cooler weather.

2. What's one thing on your real or proverbial autumn bucket list? 

Nothing at the moment.  All THREE grandsons are playing football.  I don't want to miss another game.  Blake plays on Thursdays and Saturdays, and the twins play every Saturday.

3. Apples, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, butternut squash and cranberries are some of the top fall foods. Which one is your favorite and how do you like it prepared? Any on the list you don't eat? Which one have you had most recently? 

Sweet potatoes are my favorite; sweet potato French fries are the best!  I usually just bake my sweet potato till it is tender on the inside but the outside is crisp....serve plain please.  Pumpkin is something I do not eat.  I have never been a fan and have tried but no success.  An apple I try to eat daily. 

4. 'Fall is proof that change is beautiful' is a popular sentiment. Would you agree or no? Elaborate. 

I am in the middle...Change can be beautiful.  Change can give you new adventures and opportunities.  Change can help you grow as a person.  Letting go and let God is a beautiful change.  The vibrant colors of fall is beautiful.

On the other hand, change is not beautiful.  Change is not beautiful when it brings pain, grief, and loss.  But one thing that I keep reminding myself is life is ever changing and I can be negative or positive about it.  I am choosing to be positive and learning to embrace change.

5. Is there a spot near you where people go to see the leaves change color? Will you try to leaf peep somewhere this fall? Lonely Planet lists the following ten places as the best for leaf peeping...of those listed which would you most like to visit? 

Stowe, Vermont~Shenandoah National Park, Virginia~Columbia River Gorge, Oregon~Zion National Park, Utah~Tennessee/North Carolina border~West Virgina~Northwesteroming~Wisconsin Northwoods~Northern Nevada~Ozark Highlands Scenic Byway, Arkansas

Usually drive the parkway, but I heard recently that parts of it is still not open due to the hurricane last year.  Since I live in the mountains, just about every place is beautiful.

Stowe, Vermont because I want to go to Vermont!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Monday evening, I attended a Women't Bible Study Group.  I can't remember the last time I laughed so much.  There is just something about when women get together to share  that brings you laughter.  And of course the food/snacks were amazing!!

Have a Great Rest of the Week and Enjoy Life!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1.  Are you more life of the party or more party pooper? If your answer is somewhere in the middle which side of the middle do you lean towards more? 

Birthday party, beach party, cocktail party, dinner party, charity fundraiser, surprise party, costume party, garden party, Christmas party, reunion...what's your favorite kind of party? 

I am in the middle but lean towards life of the party. I don't think I am a party pooper at all. 

My favorite kind of part would be a beach party. I have attended many charity fundraisers and I didn't mind going.  Hub just had to keep me away from the silent auction table. ha!

 

2. Cheese, wine, and balsamic vinegar all improve with age. What would you personally add to the list? 

Exercise, I believe, will improve with age.  I also think having a positive outlook on life improves age.

3. How do you feel about your birthday? How do you want to be celebrated? Or don't you? 

I don't really celebrate my birthday that much now that I am older.  Hearing from grandsons wishing me a happy birthday is all that I need.

4. What remarkable feat, interesting piece of trivia, or historical event occurred on your birth day and month? Not necessarily your same birth year, just the same date/month. 

I had to look this up and found out:  Battle of Gettysburg ended AND the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 3, 1776!!   Wonder why we don't celebrate on July 3rd, but we celebrate on July 4th or maybe I am just confused!

5. Share two good things about your life right now. 

1.  Health and having my basic needs met.

2. Even simple things...taking a walk with a close friend and sharing a cup of coffee .

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I went this weekend with a few friends to Hot Springs, Virginia.  We had rented a nice, cozy cabin.  We booked a one and one half hour session in the Warm Springs Pool.  The water is naturally fed by a 98 degree F mineral spring.  Total relaxation.

Our cabin had a fire pit and it was definitely used!

There was a creek running behind the property.  AND it was warm water.

We ate at this little place and the food was scrumptious!  The weather was perfect, so we were able to eat outside.

The property was lined with beautiful strawberry hydrangeas.  The picture doesn't do them justice.

It was so nice to just escape reality for a short while after this past horrific event in the news.

Have a great rest of the week and Enjoy Life!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What gives you energy? What takes it away? 

People tell me I have a lot of nervous energy and I do.  Here lately, I have been getting so tired and sleepy around 3pm so I drink a Celsius Live Fit.  It has zero sugar  This drink seems to perk me up.

 Natural energy comes from watching my grandsons play football.  Saturday I was at football games...twins and Blake all day from 11am to 6pm.  AND not one ounce of tiredness or sleepiness.

Stress does take my energy away and I stress out a lot!  BUT rude people and drama take my energy away,also.

2. How often do you shop for clothes? What accessory do you always wear? 

Here lately about EVERYDAY!!  I need to stop, but I have found the cutest boutique about an hour from me and the clothes are so cute, PLUS the employees make you feel so comfortable and are down-to-earth.  I am going to have to get three more jobs if I keep this up.

I use to always wear my wedding band, but since hub's death I have put them away.  I always wear earrings.

3. What's something free that you feel grateful for? 

The beautiful sunsets and lasting friends.

4. Breakfast, lunch, dinner...which meal of the day do you enjoy most? What's your go-to comfort food? 

a

 I usually skip breakfast.  lunch at school is eaten in 10 minutes and going to football games to see the grands play, my lunch is usually popcorn or a candy bar.  Dinner is by myself and I don't cook so it is more junk food (I know I have tried preparing meals but end up throwing them away).  

My comfort food is a bowl of cereal.

5. This week the world remembers the tragic events of 9/11. Do you mark the day in any way? How do historical events shape your perspective on your personal challenges? 

I remember exactly where I was on this day.  I was teaching at the middle school and the high school principal turned off ALL TVs.  We (teachers) would try to sneak to the library and see what was going on.  I remember watching the news all night and then the next day watching the celebration of what that country did to us. 

By learning from the past mistakes help me with personal challenges.  Historical events help me to be a cheerleader for the future reminding me that I will eventually get through this.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Saturday was spent at the ballfield....the football field.

The twins are playing tag football and their game began at 11am.  Well, it was supposed to but it didn't get started till almost 12. I get so tickled at this age group.  You have some kids who are so serious and others who run the wrong way.

Blake's  game began at 3pm.  Flag football doesn't last long, but I didn't want to go home and then drive back to Abingdon.  I needed to get some flowers for hub's and daughter's grave so I went to Hobby Lobby.  One can't just go into Hobby Lobby without buying other stuff not on the list and that is exactly what I did.  

Blake's game began on time (thankful) because it rained and at this age the game isn't cancelled!!  But I love watching him play.  He is so much like my precious Amanda ...personality wise and he thinks of others before himself.  He was crying after the game because  the ref said he had pushed another player in the back but Blake kept saying he didn't.  His parents had to explain to him that they knew he didn't push the player in the back but the REF is who is in charge and what he says goes.  Blake just had a hard time understanding why the REF would lie.  But all was better later the next day!!

Monday was eat lunch with someone GRAND at the boys' school.  Which was also book fair day  (yep, I knew what the school was doing).  The twins have adjusted well to school and was telling me I had to follow the rules!!  Eating lunch cost me more than a lunch, I will tell you that.  But so glad they enjoy books!!

This is Liam

This is Aiden.

This is Blake.

Have a great rest of the week and Enjoy Life!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Next Sunday is Grandparent's Day. Share a favorite memory, photo, recipe, or something you learned from a grandparent. 

My grandmothers and I were close. I would travel to Baltimore every summer and spend my summer with my maternal grandmother.  My maternal grandmother worked at the VA Hospital in the canteen then she took a job caring for a lady who was injured in an automobile accident. I can still remember how patient and caring she was with this young lady she cared for.  I can also remember making care packages for my uncle who was serving in Vietnam.  My grandmother didn't have much money, but there was nothing I did without while in Baltimore with her.  Often we traveled to Washington D.C to shop, see shows, or visit all the monuments.

My paternal grandmother was a faithful, Christian woman.  There wasn't a church service she missed. I never knew how she did it, but every Sunday after church there was a feast at her house!  And she never believed in doing any work on a Sunday!!  maybe clean the dishes but that was all!!  After dinner, we would sit on her porch and just talk.  The memory I have the most is when my oldest daughter was facing her second heart surgery; she was 16 months old at this time.  We were in Boston at Boston's Children Hospital.  The surgeon came to speak to hub and I and explained my daughter had 95% chance of not making it through surgery and 100% chance without the surgery she would die within a year.  I called my grandmother back home, crying my eyes out, and just wanted to hear her voice and her wisdom. My grandmother was that type of person.  BTW my daughter did survive this surgery.

2. What's a quote from a book (besides The Bible) that has stayed with you? ee

I can't think of a quote from a book, but a couple of quotes that have stayed with me are these two: This one is by Ralph Waldo Emerson

This one I said to my daughters about EVERYDAY: "Do not follow where the path may lead.  Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail."  I wanted my daughters to be independent.

The second quote I really have had to learn (the hard way) by Robert Frost: " In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on."

3. What's your number one food pet peeve? 

Serving me dressing in a little bowl for a huge salad!!

BUT, I shouldn't complain because I saw/heard about someone going through the McDonald's Drive through. This person ordered a Big Mac without the bun.  When this person got home and opened the container, not only was there no bun, but no hamburger either: just a box of lettuce and sauce!!

4. What's one thing about you that is still the same as it was when you were young? 

I would have to say my hair.  I am a lucky one with still some thick hair.

5. September is National Preparedness Month...does your family have an emergency plan? Do you have some sort of preparedness kit you keep on hand? If so, tell us one thing that's kept there. 

I do not have an emergency plan or a preparedness kit.  I know I should and I keep telling myself to be prepared, but I haven't yet.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I went to a football game Friday night.  Tuesday at school, I was told I was on the local news.  What on earth for????  The teachers showed me a picture and sure enough the camera person from our local TV station was filming the cheerleaders and here comes me walking right through the cheerleaders oblivious to the camera person.

Have a great rest of the week and Enjoy Life!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. When someone finds out what you do or where you're from, what's a question they always ask? 

When speaking, people can usually tell where I am from.  You got that 'hick' accent and your words are drawn out so you are from the South.

The question ICo get asked about my job is: "How on earth do you do that this day and time with no discipline?" 

2. Did you participate in 'Greek Life' when you were in college, or have children who did? If so what was your experience like? Taking another tack...have you ever been to Greece? If not, is that a destination on your bucket list? 

Yes, I participated in 'Greek Life' but my girls did not.  One of the best experiences of life was joining/pledging a sorority.  To this day, I can call a sorority sister for encouragement , to celebrate with me, or  just to vent...same as in college. Just like when I was in college, my sorority sisters still care for each other .   A close knit bond between girls and ladies that lasts beyond the college years.

I have never been to Greece and would love to go!

3. Do you like Greek food? If so what's your favorite dish?  

 

I guess, if Gyros count.  A dish I kinda like is Moussaka.  

4. What incredibly common thing have you never done? 

Cook a huge meal for a family get-together!!!

I have never been on a cruise till this past summer.  I have never been to a music festival.  I have been to concerts but not a music festival.  This might be something I add to my bucket list.

5. What is a telltale sign that you're upset? 

The loudness of my voice raises ten octaves higher and my heart beats faster. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

The weather now is beginning to feel like 'sweater weather'   There is a chill in the air which also means football time!  I love watching college football...not so much NFL.

This past weekend, I attended a memorial service for one of my dear friends (college roommate, sorority sister, girls' trip gang, etc.).  I am keenly aware, that as hard as it was, I was blessed to have known you.  You are happier than me left here on earth.  I can't imagine the reunion and celebration as you were met by your dear husband and daughter.

Have a great week and Enjoy Life!