Hodgepodge!

If you've ever thought about joining the Hodgepodge, or you've read other people's answers--other than mine--and said, "I could do better than that!", than this is your chance. Great questions, plus if you put it off for another week, you're actually putting it off for two weeks because there won't be a Hodgepodge next week, although there will be one the week after that.

Confused much?

Well you shouldn't be confused about what comes next. Read, comment and then go here and visit Joyce. She always has great answers, and a link up to see what everyone else in the world has to say. Or at least, everyone else in the world who is someone because that's who participates in the Hodgepodge! (Dontcha want to play now?)

1. What are your plans for Easter? Are you cooking a big lunch or dinner? Dyeing eggs? Attending a sun rise service? Eating too much chocolate?
We're all about being healthy this year (that sounds so boring, I yawned when I typed it). We're not doing ham since that's bad for Indiana, but I think I'm going to cook a turkey breast. And there will not be dyed eggs, but there will be deviled ones which will disappear much too quickly. My boys tend to eat like, well, like teenage boys.

 

Here's Luke with his first helping from dinner last night. And, yes, both plates are part of his first helping. (I find it annoying that he stays so slim.)

And here's the rest of the crew. They clean up nicely (new suits for the upcoming wedding), but they can definitely eat their weight in--well in anything.

2. What is something you feel too young to do?
Grow old.

3. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud...it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs..."  Of the characteristics mentioned in the biblical definition of love which do you find most difficult to live out and why?
Whether in the bounds of love or not, I've got a little trouble with that whole patience thing.

4. What's a springtime flower you associate with your childhood?
My black thumb is inherited, as no one in my family was ever any good at gardening. In spite of that, we had a lilac bush that bloomed every year. That's how I knew it was spring.

5. Ever sung karaoke? If so, what's your go-to song? If not and you're given the opportunity, would you?
I can't imagine doing that without plenty of alcohol first, and since I don't drink, I don't think it's happening.

6. What is something you keep in a basket?
A tisket and a tasket. You know, from "a tisket, a tasket, a green and yellow basket ..."? Okay, that's dumb, but at least I never picked up pawpaws and put them in my pocket.

7. When was the last time you felt foolish?
Probably when I wrote the answer to that last question.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
I love this Easter bonnet!

 

Well there's really nothing more than needs to be said after that, is there?

 

 



 

The Not-Ready-For-Primetime Hodgepodge

After a quick glance today, I really wish I would have taken time to look at the questions yesterday! I'm turning green from anxiety, but I'm betting this post turns out all right and will probably also contain every color of the rainbow. (Does this count as answers for 1, 2 and 6?)

At any rate, buckle up 'cause this ride might cause you to toss your corned beef and cabbage! Don't forget to go to Joyce's when you're done, so you can see link up and see what everyone else wrote.

1. Do you play games of luck/chance for money? Have you ever played bingo for money? Visited a casino? Placed a bet on a horse? Bought a lottery ticket?
I'm betting I'd be poorer than I already am if I ever started wagering money on anything!

2. Will you be preparing and/or dining on the traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage meal this St. Patrick's Day? Mashed-baked-hash browned-french fried...your favorite way to have potatoes?
We'll be having a fellowship at church that night, and I'm making mexican dip and beef muchomo (a Ugandan dish). We're having an international theme.

By the way, the dip and the muchomo aren't going together. I'm making items in two different categories. Look at me and my bad self, uh huh, uh huh, uh huh! (Name that movie.)

3. What's the last thing you felt 'green with envy' over?
I feel green every time I let my son drive. Or when Indiana tries to talk on the phone while driving.

I guess to really be fair, I should admit that my driving occasionally makes myself green too.

4. What's at the end of your rainbow?
Well if it's a pot of gold, I'm betting that I wouldn't use it for question #1!

I5. March 12th marks the anniversary of the death of Anne Frank (June 12, 1929-March, 1945). Anne's diary detailing her time spent hiding from the Nazi's during the war ranks as one of the best selling books of all time. Besides your blog, do you keep any sort of diary or journal? Was this a habit you developed as a child or is journaling something new for you?
I don't journal; I mark time with my children. Most stories begin with, "I was pregnant with ...". It just so happens that I marked March 12th with the birth of my oldest child. Happy birthday, Matt!

6. What's an item in your home or closet that contains every color of the rainbow?
My home and closet do contain every color in the rainbow.

7. Write alimerick with you as the subject. You can do it!! Just remember this is a family friendly blog...don't make me get out my wooden spoon.
Now I really wish I'd read these yesterday! Okay, here goes:

There once was a girl who said "drat!"
'Cause the Hodgepodge Queen was a rat.
She made us do rhymes
When we hadn't the time
And there's no way to quickly do that!

8. Insert your own random thought here.
My nineteen year old son has appointed himself my personal trainer. He's got me exercising and recording everything that I eat and reporting it all to him. I'm going to be beautiful and slim ... and one of us is going to be dead.

Deep Gut-Wrenching Contemplations

I know I've not been around lately. Lately is a relative term. I think in this case it means I haven't blogged in about a month. And I know this has been a huge source of disappointment to the many two of you who read this blog.

My bad.

I started out this year with a determination to blog more regularly. Clearly that resolution bit the dust before the end of January.  And then every time I thought of something to blog, I remembered that I hadn't changed my background or my header picture. I still had hollyberries and loads of snow. Not at all acceptable when I'm sitting here in 80 degree weather.

But I didn't know what to do with the background. Did I want to go back to what I had last year? Find something new? Go back to the basic blogger template? I couldn't decide. And I couldn't blog when I still looked so much like winter. I realize that it still is winter in many parts of the country and a lot both of you are digging out from snow, but still.

All this thinking about the look of my blog led me to thinking about other aspects. And I found myself with a bucketload of soul searching questions:  Is blogging right for me? Should I do something different to gain more followers? (I'm sure more commenting on other people's blogs would help.) Should I stop trying to be funny and start being more profound and thought-provoking? Should I even have a blog at all? Maybe I should quit.

After almost two months of introspection, broken occasionally by a foray into the weekly Hodgepodge, I've come to some rather drastic conclusions.

I need new mascara.

I know. Totally random. Turns out I'm not really profound even in my deep thinking. But one night while I was mulling over these thoughts, I looked in the mirror and realized I had dark circles under my eyes. Turns out my mascara tends to smear by the end of the day.

Other deep thoughts have involved Stephanie's upcoming wedding, and as I stood there at the mirror, these two thoughts collided:  I can't have smeary mascara at her wedding. I might cry. I probably will cry at her wedding. And then I could very well end up doing a good raccoon imitation in the pictures--without the scavenging through garbage, I hope.

So I need some new mascara. Any suggestions? I used to wear Mary Kay's. She was generous like that. And then I got some Ulta mascara for free. I like it, but I get this smear thing going on. I don't want to have to try dozens to find what I want. I just want something that will make my lashes look incredibly awesome without making my face look incredibly stupid. Why doesn't someone use that as their tagline for advertising?

I also need new lipstick, but I think I know what I need here thanks to Fringegirl's blog. She participates in a What I Wear meme every week, and she looks really good. But what I noticed even more than her clothes, was her lipstick. So I asked her what she wore. I guess I'm not the only one that liked it because Fringegirl did a vlog on lipstick not too long ago.

So, I have no deep and profound thoughts and decisions for my blog future, but I'm starting to get a handle on the makeup I need to wear to my daughter's wedding. Now if ya'll can just help me out with some mascara tips, I'll be all set. Except for the fact that I don't have a dress for the wedding yet.

Baby steps, I guess.

And by the way, in case you care (and even if you don't), this is the background I used last year. Turns out that most of the wonderful free backgrounds out there are either too pastel or cutesy for me.

Shocker.