Wednesday Hodge Podge

1. What are two or three expectations you have of yourself?
My main expectation is  to lead a life where  the  light of Christ   is readily  seen  through  love,  compassion,  and  godly choices.
Secondly, I expect to  take  good care of myself  that  I may  be  a  blessing to my family and not a hindrance.

2. In what way does your outdoor space need sprucing up this spring?
Our lawn always needs  tender care....  an older  lawn  on  this  rocky soil    seems to  have tenuous  longevity...    We battle  its care  throughout the years. We  are  sprucing up the  fence row  with new plantings..  We will be planting my new hydrangeas on the  southeast side of the  house so we can enjoy them  from   the kitchen and the  front porch..

3. According to this site (Roadtrippers), six of North America's most wondrous waterfalls are-Webster's Falls in Ontario, Upper Whitewater Falls in North Carolina,Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon, Multnomah Falls in Oregon, The Lower Yellowstone Falls, and Niagara. Have you seen any on the list? Which one on the list would you most like to visit? Prettiest waterfall not on the list that you've seen in person?

I have not seen any of the falls  listed......  Hubs and I   do plan to  see Niagara  some day soon...  as we  are  fairly close to it every time we go  to our kids...  He saw it as  child and  wants to  show me..
Locally we  have  the Cascades  which  have a  charm of their own!


 My Bible Study group went to  a  spiritual  retreat  to Moravian falls  near North Wilksboro, NC.. known for it angelic activity.. I know it was  very peaceful  if not  dramatic in  its    appearance.

 

4. Looking back, what's something you wish you'd done as a teenager?
I wish I had had more confidence.  I missed out in so many  things  because of my shyness and  lack of  self worth...especially in the  area of  being more adventurous as  a teen...  I  just didn't allow myself to participate in     teen  activities  like I should have....  

5. Ham...yes please or no thank you? If you said yes please which of the following do you like best-baked ham with all the trimmings, a ham and cheese sandwich, prosciutto with melon, a ham biscuit, a bowl of split pea and ham soup, or a slice of pizza topped with ham and pineapple?

I  love ham....  love it baked for dinner..  love  a sugar cure  ham biscuit  like the kind  one gets at  Bojangles... yum!!!   Not quite as salty as  regular cured ham...  I love ham in soups....  and  on pizza...  I am just a big ham I guess!!!

6. Are you typical of your generation? How so?

I think  so...  maybe not as  athletic  as some....  but  I am very engaging now...  I  enjoy   social functions    and  discussion  groups...   I love to lead Bible Study  groups.  I  love  singing,  and  travel,,,  and  arts and crafts  groups... I love  getting together  with  my  small set of friends( 5 ladies)  about once a month  to go  to lunch  or  together  at each others  homes...

7. April rolls in at the end of the week, and in keeping with that theme...'act the fool', 'nobody's fool', 'a fool's errand', 'could have fooled me'...which foolish idiom most recently applies to you? Explain.

I suppose  as  a retired elementary school teacher I was always on the look out for   foolish pranks  and not wanting to get caught  unawares  I  guess  I    am "Nobody's fool"   although I do enjoy  performing  a  really  good prank on  folks...    but  I  am  a  tidy prankster....nothing too 'bad'.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
I am still trying to figure out where March went....  When one is sick  with a terrible  virus for 3 weeks  time flies by!!!  Apparently!!!

The Simple Woman Daybook

The Simple Woman Daybook

For Today...

March 28, 2016

the weather today....

Outside my window...

the overnight  rainy spell has past and the  wind  is   picking up....

the maple trees are all abloom with their  new  sprouting   leaves....I am  allergic to maple trees, so I  dont want to get out in that wind much today.....  yikes!!!

I am thinking...

there are  some items I would like to order today.... time to peruse the catalogues  and Amazon

I am thankful...

for such great friends. it was  sort of hard to  think about  our dearest granddaughters enjoying their holiday  and  missing seeing them  hiding/seeking eggs.... I guess I always thought I'd  be with my grandchildren on holidays... that was  our tradition  growing up...but  we're learning to    be  thankful for  great  christian friends...  Dot and Bill had  David, Gerri, and hubs and I over after church for a  wonderful Easter dinner..It was a delightful  time of fellowship and  conversation!!!!

I am wearing...

my   jeans and turquoise tee....

I am creating...

the house is so cleaned up and  in  such good order, I have no plans to mess it up this week...  maybe next week I will  bring out our new sewing machine and  begin a project!

I am going...

looking for shoes  today... I need  some  comfortable walking shoes for an upcoming  trip...more on that later!

I am wondering... 

if we might do face time this morning.  if so it could be any minute....  it is my most favorite Monday activity!!!!

At least we get to enjoy breakfast with the girls!

On my reading table...

another  Lynn Kurland book....

I am reading it rather slowly  because I want to  relish every  moment...  only 2 more to go.

I am hoping...

to still locate   the  particular  type of  hydrangea  I am  seeking....

paniculata

I'll be stopping  in to several greenhouses this week!

I am learning...

discipline of  contentment...   that one is hard!

In my garden...

Once the maple pollen season  is over  by mid April it will be time to focus  on the porch....  we will  wash  the  jute carpet and and  wrought iron furniture  and scrub the  porch area...  I so look forward to time spent on the porch... I  want to have some lovely  pots of  greenery and   perhaps c couple of hanging baskets out there..   I love the Jacobean  pattern of our  porch cushions...

This season I would love to  purchase some  outdoor curtains    for the porch....  I have a bit of a sales job to perform on hubs, though!!!!  A white  sheer  type fabric  would  make the porch so much more intimate yet breezy!

In my kitchen...

I am really anxious to learn how to make macarons  using my new silpat  macaron sheet

 This is my  project for this week

A favorite quote/scripture for today...

John 10: 1-4

I Am the Good Shepherd

10 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

A peek into one of my days...today
shopping for shoes  and perhaps  a travel outfiT.. I need something Springy!!!!!!!!

One of my favorite things...

Hydrangeas.... it is now afternoon, and  we jsut got back from   shopping.. and  thankfully hubs took me to  Windy Gap nursery.. where  we  found  2    excellent  hydrangeas...
paniculata Limelight

and  a  fiery  red....Quick Fire

 I am  ecstatic!!!

From the board room...

I love   Madelief's photography....  such  beauty..

Post Script

Well, my shopping experience was  most productive....  just in time for  our  up coming little jaunt  out of town..

2  new slacks,  2 new tops and a pair of  walking shoes!!

Like walking on a cloud!!!

Glory to God Through Our Lord Jesus Christ!

It is interesting how the various stages of life  bring    seasons  of remembrance    during  holidays...  especially... for example the  last year we  did the Passover Seder  with my parents.

The celebration of a Messianic Passover meal adds so much to   our  holy week  celebration.
  Messianic haggadahs are  easily accessible online and the  symbolism is  so precious!!  It really  brings   Christ's  sacrifice    to bear on our lives!!!  It is even so much more meaningful since our daughter gave us this   gorgeous Seder Plate..where each element  offers  its own special  representation  to  the  meaning of passover..  The Passover meal is celebrated on Maundy Thursday  and the next night is  Good Friday..  which  absolutely  pierces  our hearts as we  contemplate the  sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ!!

Such a solemn and  thought provoking   evening....we have so much to  thank  our Lord for the depth of His love and  honoring of the Father  in enduring the  cross on our behalf...  The  scourging and the humiliation.. the suffering and the  death and His  complete innocence,  then separation   from  God is something the human mind can not  truly fathom. But we must  try to wrap our mind around it  during this season  that  we will  understand  the depth, the width ,the, height of His so great love for us.
Then tomorrow, resurrection Sunday  we  shout   glory to God... He is risen... He is risen, indeed!!
it is then we can truly celebrate  the new life and  redemption we  enjoy by Christ's  resurrection!!!


Even creation  sings hallelujah!11

Even as the day wanes  the glory  is  singing, Amen!!!

So it's time to bring the exultation inside...







I just love the vibrant  colors of spring!!



Celebrating with family and friends!


An Easter dinner     seems to seldom change..


Especially    coconut poke cake!!


Cakes Coconut Poke Cake
 Ingredients 1. 1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
2. 1 (14 ounce) can cream of coconut
3. 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
 4. 1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed
5. 1 (8 ounce) package flaked coconut
 Baking Instructions
1. Prepare and bake white cake mix according to package directions. Remove cake from oven. While still hot, using a utility fork, poke holes all over the top of the cake.
 2. Mix cream of coconut and sweetened condensed milk together. Pour over the top of the still hot cake. Let cake cool completely then frost with the whipped topping and top with the flaked coconut. Keep cake refrigerated.
It makes 1 9X13 cake

So tomorrow,,  enjoy the exultation of our risen Lord!!!!!

Amaze Me Monday Pink Saturday Make It Pretty  Bernideen's Tea Time, Cottage and Garden Blog Party

Wednesday Hodge Podge

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1. Has spring sprung in your little corner of the world? Other than the calendar how would I know? What's your favorite thing about spring?

Yes, spring has definitely sprung and all is right with my world... today's temps will be in the 70's and  even the daffodils are fading and the tulips are budding!!!

My favorite thing about spring? I have to agree with Joyce. I love the longer days, and having the windows open.. I love birdsong!!! My favorite birdsong is found here.. I love their lonely sound when heard rather afar off... it floods my soul!!!

2. Besides the weather, what's put a spring in your step recently?

I get excited about new plantings and garden delights..I recently purchased as a new treat from Plow and Hearth...

I cant wait to get it up and going... possibly today!!!

3. How does Easter impact you?

I saw a quip on face book this morning that said Christmas was our promise... Easter is our proof... promise of what... the redemption of the world.. victory over sin and death... healing of our diseases...assurance of Christ's wonder working power on our behalf...because Christ's last word on the cross was "It is finished" What satan had been given in the garden,,, Christ had taken back... and even as sin seems to be taking over our world at an alarming rate... we in Christ have the power to overcome .. for whatever befalls us or we must endure,... Christ will either bring us through, lead us around it, or take us out of it...

4. I saw this somewhere on Face book and thought it would make a fun Hodgepodge question. Which of the following would you find most disappointing...

a just stuffed taco shell breaking open and spilling out when before you take the first bite? dropping a just-purchased Starbucks/Dunkin Donuts coffee? opening the peanut butter jar and finding it empty? upending a just-purchased ice cream cone?a burnt bagel popping up in your toaster when you're rushing breakfast? or cutting into an avocado and finding out it's rotten? 

I had that one about the upended ice cram happen to me when I was about 10 years old... I had earned a quarter for doing something and I was so excited to get to walk to our little community market to buy myself a Nutty Buddy..I can still remember with what relish I had gingerly opened the packaging not to disturb the thin shell of chocolate that coated the beautiful white ice cream. As I was just beginning the 2 block walk back home, a scary dog ran up to me and jumped up on me, giving me such a fright I dropped my ice cream in the gravels.. I will never forget how upset I was .. so upset I forget to be scared of the dog and just kicked it in my anguish...

5. What's something held together with tape at your house? Or a paper clip? Or a wing and a prayer?

I really hate to admit this one... but hubs just had to do this yesterday...our downstairs half bath is in dire need of a redo... especially the wallpaper needs to come off... well, it is trying its best to come off by itself... Hubs had to apply a slip of tape to the edge thankfully right behind the tank to reinforce the seam... Our problem is finding someone to the work in there... no one around here wants a smallish reno job! 

6. Do you feel under appreciated? In what way?

No, I have had a season of my life when due to my lack of confidence I felt rather unappreciated and unfulfilled, but it was more my own poor esteem and self concept than anything that was cast upon me by others... Praise God, he is the great Physician, I was healed from this infirmity!!!

7. What's something you'd build if you knew how?

Actually, Id have to decline to say anything..I have no desire to build anything.. I have plenty of things on my to do list that I need to contemplate first.. need I say... in my retirement.. I fear I have lost some ambition to make things.. or perhaps to rephrase that.. my life is just too full to have time to contemplate more projects..

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Ready to Celebrate

Tomorrow  one of my favorite people in the world...  Pam, is coming  to  spend a couple of nights...She is   a  dear, sweet cousin  who lives in NC  and  we are getting together to work on genealogy for the  big family reunion coming up in July!!!  Now that I have bunches of old photos  from my mom    we  want to  put names to  faces and    create  a  photologue   of  ancestors  at least back to  our greats  and   then genealogy  back several generations... So Ive been busy  sprucifying  the house for  Easter!!!

You know how you get  sale  ads  in your email  day after day..  Pier One  ads  we  enticing me  mightily  so I had to stop in there this morning and I  adopted this    wonderful  bunny  just  for   the season.... I had a smaller one  last year  but  its ear  got broken and unhappily I can not find the  ear to glue back on... But I just  love this fellow....    he is really guarding those carrots.. I may need to borrow one for  Sunday dinner!

 I decided to  use my  spring  Johnson Brothers Vintage Charm  plates      paired with my JB  Garden Basket  transferware  salad plates...   just to mix it up a bit!!!

 I love the     beautiful Vintage Charm coffee mug  with the  stately   positioned  bluebird...

 It was actually the mug  that drew me to these  dishes  because of our  beautiful    granddaughter, Birdie!!!!  This setting looks ready for  brunch or luncheon,  which ever  comes first!!! heheheh

 

  The sunroom  is  charming with the  vestages of spring!

   Bunnies are abounding  

 Just about everywhere one looks!

 The mantel in the parlor  is  verdant  and atwinkle!

 Looks like Peter Rabbit has  been hiding eggs  along the shelf!

 And the front porch  is beginning to take shape.. even though it hasnt been fully  seen to.. we  always wait until after  the pollen has   dissipated!  But  a  bit of refreshing  made a statement of welcome!

 Especially since this week we are having such grand  weather!!!

 Even the ktichen  is  laid out  in festive adornment!

 My kitchen helper  may be just the one to help me procure more carrots  form  other rooms!!!

Anyway...    Pam will be here soon, and  then the party  can begin in earnest!!! Amaze Me Monday Make It Pretty  Bernideen's Tea Time, Cottage and Garden Blog Party