Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Are you comfortable with silence? If you're home alone, do you like silence or do you need regular background noise? Do you seek out times and places to be silent? What's your favorite place to find silence/be silent?

I am comfortable with silence.  At times, I need silence just to collect my wits end.  Usually when I am home alone, there is some music playing in the background-usually Contemporary Christian music or the 70's or 80's blaring.  
I do seek out times to be silent.  In the morning before the day begins, I say a prayer and read my devotions. I am not a morning person but if I wait  until later that evening, I find myself not having any time to read my devotions.  My morning routines help me get in a good frame of mind for the day.

My favorite place to find silence--Bathroom! 

2. October 28th is National Chocolate Day. Can't let that go by without a mention now, can we? Will you celebrate? How? Let's say you can have one of the following right this very minute... a cup of hot chocolate, a strawberry dipped in chocolate, a bowl of plain chocolate ice cream, or a slice of chocolate pie...what's your pleasure?

A strawberry dipped in chocolate.  I am not a huge fan of plain chocolate.

3. How do you feel about blue jeans? Favorite thing in the world to wear or nope, don't own a single pair? How often do you wear blue jeans in a typical week? Do you own a blue jean jacket?

Jeans aren't necessarily my favorite but I do enjoy wearing jeans.  I am able to wear jeans every Friday to school. I have found that you can really dress up a pair of jeans to look so neat/tidy  -pairing jeans with accessories (jewelry/scarfs) can make a pair of jeans come to life!  In a typical week, I wear jeans probably 2-3 times.  I do own a blue jean jacket donated to me by daughter.

4. Are you superstitious? If so, in what way?

Yes and I shouldn't be.  I know that going in one door and out another door does not cause me any harm, but I won't do it.  

5. If you had to come up with a costume using only things you have on hand right now, what could you come up with? 

A tacky tourist--straw hat, big wide sunglasses, an outfit that is completely outdated and lots of fake jewelry!

6. What scares you a little? What do you do when you feel scared?

I do not like to be caught in the middle of a dispute.  I do not like confrontations at all.  Usually walk/run from the situation.

7. Perhaps today will be the day I ______________________________. am able to cook and eat with hub!  For the past few days, I have had something going on and hub has had the same schedule.  So we both have just grabbed something to eat later that evening-unhealthy of course-chips, cookies, crackers-too tired and too late to fix dinner.  Today may be the day---I shall see!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Rainy here for the past couple of days.  I  am in the mood for fall and some cooler temps.  Have a safe Halloween and enjoy all the Trick or Treaters!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. October 21, 2015 is Back to the Future Day. Did you see the movie? The sequels? In the second film, Doc takes Marty into the future to prevent Marty's future son from making a mistake. They leave 1985 and land on a 'skyway' on October 21st, 2015. So tell us, what were you doing in the fall of 1985?


I was teaching 4th and 6th grade in 1985.  Hub and I were renting an apartment and not a care in the world!



2.  If time travel were possible, would you want to go to the future? The past?

 May I go to both, please?
 I would like to go to the future to see how my children are doing-if they are succeeding in all they set out to do.  I would like to see if grandchildren have accomplished their goals/dreams.  I wonder if heaven will allow me to see this....
I would like to go to the past--just a little bit of the simplified life style-but then again, I need my microwave, cell phone, and computer.  Going back to the past would allow me to talk to my ancestors which would be great.



3. We're not flying cars, but some of the technology imagined in the 80's film has indeed come to pass in real life 2015-flat screen TVs on the wall, tablets, fingerprint recognition, video conferencing, online banking, 3-D movies, motion controlled video games, drone cameras, and smart glasses (Google glass).  Do you worry technology is growing at a rate so fast we'll soon be unable to keep up with it's demands? Do you think the Internet does more harm than good?



Yes, I worry that technology is growing faster than one can keep up.  The Internet is very useful for studying and looking up things I do not know.  There is so much information at our fingertips.
I feel the Internet can be harmful in one just sitting and playing games or just sometimes plain ole dangerous. 
The Internet useful or not depends on the person using it.






4. Your favorite dish prepared in a slow-cooker? Your favorite fast food?

This would have to be some type of soup.  My favorite fast food-Subway-I tell myself I am eating healthy at Subway-haha


5. No time like the present, down time, face time, pressed for time, in the nick of time, make time, mark time, or just in time...which timely saying most relates to your life right now? 


Right now it is down time.  It seems like after the wedding planning and wedding there isn't much happening.


6. Tell us about a place you went as a child or younger person that's no longer there or is now something else. How does that make you feel?

My neighborhood/home!  I lived my teenage years in a little town, Saltville, Virginia.  Saltville was known for-Salt-what else in the early, early years.  Later, Olin came and built the town up by hiring many, many people.  When growing up, I was unaware of all the pollution Olin had caused.  Mercury was in the water.  Olin closed down and years later went in and either bought all the houses in my neighborhood to tear down.  It is sad driving through and not seeing any homes and I do get a little teary eyed.  A couple of years ago we held a Muck Dam Kids reunion.  We had a huge picnic in the yards of our use to be homes.  Such a fun time!



7. Describe your comfort zone.

My comfort zone is in my house and school. 


8. Insert your own random thought here.

Retirement is getting closer-December 2015 to be exact.  My comfort zone needs to be changed.  I need to find something to take up my time, but I do not want to volunteer for everything under the sun.  People have already asked me to be on this committee or join this club, I want to maybe, but I also just want to take a deep breath and enjoy.  No more routines for me-I am a routine kinda gal and must have a schedule.  I am a little nervous about this whole retirement thing-security with income, how to not be on a schedule and know from one day to the next what I am doing.  But I came across a quote... "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." (Neale Donald Walsh)   I shall see!

Weekend Rewind...

Weekend Rewind...



The weekend started off dreary and rainy but ended on a high note-bright sunshine.

 The school I currently teach at was celebrating homecoming activities.  I kinda like some of the dress-up days we had--Squad Day, Character/Super Hero, Jock/Nerd/ Throwback Thursday-it was neat seeing the kiddos dress and of course the faculty dressed up as well.  It was a beautiful week-sunshine and warm temps one would have thought we were in the month of May, not October.  Friday, the rain/storms blew in--ugh!  Our football game was cancelled and will be played tomorrow night-Yep on a school night-need I say more.

Before the storms came, the sun was shining.  It had been raining so the football field was muddy and since it was Homecoming I am glad no one (especially the girls) had to trudge across that muddy field.  I had grandson (he wanted to spend the night even though the football was cancelled and his dad would be home) and we headed out to a nearby town to pick up a few items.  The sky was cloudy, but it was still warm outside.  We got our few items and I stopped to get Grandson something to eat-Drive-thru.  As we were leaving the drive-thru it was like the clouds opened up.  The rain was coming down hard, the wind was blowing, and lightening was dancing across the sky.  I had great difficulty driving so I pulled into a store parking lot.  The rain was pelting the windshield so hard I thought the glass was going to break. I called hub to let him know Grandson and I were parked waiting on the rain to let up.  The rain did let up after awhile and Grandson and I make it safely home.  I was a little shaky but thankfully we had made it home safe and sound.

Saturday was rainy and dreary.  I was able to do some inside cleaning and some laundry.  Hub called and said daughter and her hub were coming down.  I made a big pot of homemade chili-good for a rainy day.  I love smelling chili cook but the aroma hangs around more than I like so I fired up some pumpkin candles.  Grandson was happy his aunt and Kenneth were coming.  He celebrated a birthday earlier in the week and he was of course wanting his presents. When daughter and Kenneth arrived they were both grinning from ear to ear.  I couldn't figure out why but when they took off their rain coats, I saw something brown underneath.  They had gotten a new puppy!  Daughter said she had been working with babies for the past few weeks in PT and she was thinking about having one but Kenneth decided to get her a puppy instead.  Good thinking, Kenneth!  The new puppy, Champ, is a boxer and he is so adorable.  :)

Sunday was a gorgeous day.  We headed out to the pumpkin patch.

The leaves are beginning to change.

Pretty soon this mountain side will be beautiful.  I do live in a pretty part of the U.S.

Hub and #1 daughter did enjoy the hayride.

Kiddos did enjoy the hay slide.
and I did get a pumpkin.  Such a beautiful day.
A perfect way to end a weekend.

Hub has a doctor appointment tomorrow with his oncologist, so whisper a prayer for continue health.

Have a great week and Enjoy Life!

Weekend Rewind....

Weekend Rewind...



It was a rainy, windy weekend.  So thankful we did not get all the rain that was earlier predicted.  Prayers for safety for all caught up in the rain.

Finally, got around to putting my spring and summer pictures on a DVD.  I have not been too lucky with photo albums.  Either my pictures fall out or I forget to put them in an album so a few years ago I began putting all my pictures on a DVD and labeling them season/year.   For some reason, I was a little behind ( I blamed it on the wedding planning) but got all pictures finished this week. Instead of going to the football game Friday evening, Grandson and I watched DVD's and sat and watched/ reminiscing about all the fun adventures we had earlier in the year.

I woke up early Saturday morning and cleaned the house.  Shew! it about took me all day.  The wind was howling outside and Grandson was telling me to stop cleaning and watch the trees.  The trees were really bending to the ground.  Our lights did flicker a few times, but our electricity did not go off.  Another praise.

Later that evening, hub and I attended the Fall Festival held annually at the elementary school.  I like going to the silent auctions which is held in the library.  All classrooms donate a basket-the baskets have a theme such as movie basket which is filled with popcorn, movies, movie tickets, or a dinner out basket filled with gift cards to restaurants, pet basket filled with pet items,fire pit basket-a fire pit filled with items to make s'mores  and many more baskets.  It is a great fund-raiser buying/bidding on something one wants.  I spent a few hours in here just making my game plan on the baskets I wanted to bid on then I headed to play Bingo.  Grandson and hub were playing games and winning prizes and jumping in the Bouncy Houses.  The auction ends at 15 minutes before the ending of the fall festival.  I headed back to the library to place my bids.  There were three baskets I wanted. I kept watching the bids and slowly walking around to write my bid down.  I was able to get 2 our of 3.  I desperately wanted the third basket but just couldn't 'pull the trigger' to bid much higher than I had already.
The Harvest Basket--filled with all sorts of goodies for fall and

 The Pet Basket-for daughter...

Sunday the rain had stopped but boy was it windy.  Both grandsons came home with us after church. We played, read, and wrestled the Sunday evening away.

Ignore hub's shoe...both boys wanted to wear 'Buddy's' shoes!

The weather had me in the mood to do a little fall decorating.  

I managed  to put a few things out while still enjoying grandsons around.

Hoping the weather will be cooperative this week.  We have Special Games Day on Wednesday along with Homecoming festivities all week.  Looking forward to a great week of work/school.

Have a blessed week and Enjoy Life.