Wednesday--Let's Hodgepodge

1.  I recently read here about four secrets to happiness from around the world. They were-
Overcome your fears by facing them head on, allow yourself to relax and reset, work to live versus living to work, and find the good in life. Not sure if these are the actual secret to happiness, but which of the four do you struggle with most? Which one comes most easily to you?

For me it would be facing my fears head on.  I'm more the stick my head in the sand and they will go away type. Nick and I have a good handle on the relax and reset thing--we like to play and know when we need to recharge.  We are working hard on the work to live not live to work.  That's why we have the kayaks, and we go camping and take road trips and spend time with our boys.  We also try to do the connect thing in the form of dates every now and then--even if they are lunch dates.
I tend to be more optimistic than pessimistic.  I try to find the good about situations.  I also spend time reminding Nick of the good, not the bad.

2. How would you spend a found $20 bill today?
I would go hit the thrift store or consignment store and find myself some new clothes.  Retail therapy, where I can get more for less is awesome.

3. Ego trip, power trip, guilt trip, round trip, trip the light fantastic, or trip over your own two feet...which 'trip' have you experienced or dealt with most recently? Explain.
Round trip.  To the mountains camping this last weekend.

4. If you could master any physical skill in the world what would it be, and how would you use that skill?
Karate or some other martial art.  To stay in shape and feel more confident.

5. As July draws to a close, let's take inventory of our summer fun. Since the official first day of (North American) summer (June 20th) have you...been swimming? enjoyed an ice cream cone? seen a summer blockbuster? camped? eaten corn on the cob? gardened? deliberately unplugged? watched a ballgame? picked fruit off the vine? taken a road trip? read a book?  Are any of these activities on your must-do-before-summer-ends list?
We have been swimming, the kids have enjoyed ice cream cones and movies with the grandparents, we went camping last weekend, we have had corn on the cob off the grill, worked on our flower beds, we unplugged while camping, I have read several books, we have a road trip planned for next month to Jackson Hole WY.
Ballgames are not ewasy to get to and not high on our to do list, and the tomatoes we have growing in the back yard are not ripe yet.

6. The Republican Presidential candidates will debate on August 6th. What's your question?
I'm truly not up enough on the issues to ask an intelligent question.  I feel it's ridiculously early to be dealing with election stuff.  I wish it was a more limited campaign season.

7. What's your most listened to song so far this summer?
I'm not sure if I have listened to it the most, but I do like Kacey Musgraves Biscuits

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
Back to school has hit the stores.  Not so sure if I'm ready to have summer be over.  I know we have about a month left before the kids head back to school, but it seems to be going by so fast...

Random Tuesday Thinking

And howdy all!  It's Tuesday in these parts.  Let's see what random fun might be lurking:

• There was snow in Jackson Hole yesterday.  Like big flakes, wet, white snow. The storm system responsible will not make it this far south, so we won't get snow, this time. But it's coming.  The first snow storm is out there and this year it just might be earlier than we thought it would be.
• We however, have been having a run of nice days.  I could use a handy thunderstorm to water the yard, but I'm not complaining.
• In honor of our camping trip:

•  The dinner battle continues.  I truly do dislike meal planning--especially in the summer.  Winging it happens more often than I like to admit to. And I feel like this more than i like to admit too as well:

 So on that lovely note--have a wonderful week!

Join in on the random fun  with  Stacy.

Camping, Jones Style and MMMM

So we finally got out camping this last weekend.  A fantastic time was had by everyone. Wanna see some highlights:

We had such a relaxing time.  It was just what camping should be.

Now for MMMM:  Freebie week so here you go:
Sam Hunt with Raised On It:

Kenny Chesney with Save It For a Rainy Day:

Kip Moore with I'm to Blame:

Have a great week!

Airy Kind Of Hodgepogde

1. Is your home air conditioned? If it's not air conditioned, is that by choice? Did you grow up with air conditioning? If not how did you cope with the heat? Share about a time or place you remember as being too hot-the temperature kind of hot, lest anyone be confused.
No, our house is not air conditioned.  We really don't need it.  We have the dry kind of heat here (most of the time) and at night we routinely drop to the 50s in the summer.  All you really need is to open the windows and maybe add a fan. Of course when the temps don't limb much over 85 during the day, the heat is not that intense.
Growing up I lived at a lower elevation so it got hotter during the day, but still cooled off at night enough to need a sweatshirt. Dealing with the heat during the day--well playing in the sprinkler, hitting the outdoor pool, heading to the mountains and often just staying in the shade was enough to cool us off.
When Turbo was 5 we took him to Florida. Our plane landed late at night, around 11.  Turbo was very concerned looking out the windows, while we were waiting for a car, that we would need our jackets.  We assured him we were OK.  He didn't believe us until we went outside and we hit the wall of warm, humid air.  He was astonished that it was dark and still warm.  It's never like that here in Wyoming.

2. What's something in your life right now that falls under the heading 'up in the air'?
Well, for us things have finally settled down.  At work, back in April, there was lots of talk about us moving to another town as there is a new office opening there for our particular institute. We were quite concerned that we would have to move and all the headache that would entail. We are now assured that we will be remaining here and we are eternally grateful.
As for "up in the air" plans, we have tentative plans for a camping trip this weekend. I think we will be going, but I'm not certain.

3. Your favorite light and airy dessert? 
Sliced strawberries sprinkled in sugar, then added to whipped cream.  Oh, so good in the spring when strawberries are cheap.

4. When did you last feel like you were 'floating on air'?
Last night when Turbo gave me a spontaneous hug.  He's growing up so fast and speeding toward independence, but every now and then the little kid part of him is still there.

5. Airport, airmail, airtight, airhead...which have you most recently encountered? Explain.
Airhead.  As in both my boys.  They can be the most airheaded kids about everything.

6.  Have you ever been to the Alps? If so where did you go? If not, is this a destination on your must-see list? If you were headed that direction this summer, which of the following would be your preferred activity...a gentle walk, a serious walk, a bike ride, a boat ride around one of the lakes, or summer snow skiing?
Nope, never been to the alps.  If we were to go, a walk or hike would appeal.

7. What is one saying or phrase that was considered 'cool' when you were growing up?
 I was a late 80s kid in a very small town.  Slang hit us a bit late, but it did make it to our small town.  Words like Totally, Chill, and Wicked were heard in the hallways often. 
We did have some of our own slang, such as Cross country running--in reference to the weekend it meat the cops had busted a party that was held out in the country.  The underagers would scatter to the hills to hide and leave the two or maybe three legals to stand around looking like quite the alcoholics. I never had to get that kind of exercise, but I heard about it at school frequently enough.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
And my successful procrastination of the laundry ended last night.  I got all the clothes folded and put away.  Still have the towels screaming for attention, but I plan to shut them up tonight.

Random Fun

Well, after having survived Monday, here we are at Tuesday.  Let's get this random show on the road:

• The laundry is winning this week.  It's still sitting at home waiting to be folded.  I live for the day when laundry is self folding.Or this happens:

• We are finally over the really busy part of the summer.  Now all we need to do is have fun.  Mostly.  We do have our big trip coming up the end of August.  Really looking forward to it.
• Now if we can just figure out time to go camping...
• Or maybe just spend some days in the mountains.
• I would just love to curl up at home and read.  with a glass of wine and some nibbly snacks.  Too bad that doing so is not so good for my hips.

• However a dinner like that would make the evening more fun!

• My new favorite poem.

Have a great week all!
Join in on the random fun  with  Stacy.

And, Monday!

Not so sure I'm ready for it to be Monday, but it's here all the same. This last weekend was quiet, for the most part--far busier for Nick than me.
Nick had his Archery Tournament, the 3D outdoor two day event. He had things a bit easier than last year as he was president this year and the vice-president runs the shoot. He did well, gettting second place in his division.
I on the other hand did next to nothing productive.  Oh the laundry is sort of done--I have folding to do and towels still to wash, but a migraine derailed me yesterday.  I hate migraines.  Today will be better.

On to MMMM.  80s music, but with a twist--the songs must be funny 80s songs.  So here goes:

Weird AL Yankovic with Eat It(1984):

Ray Stevens with The Shriner's Convention(1987):

Ray Stevens with Mississippi Squirrel Revival(1984):

Ray Stevens was a favorite of my brother and I when we were kids.  Fun songs.
Go see  Stacy.

Hodgepodge Sort Of Wednesday

Here we go!

1.July 15th is National Give Something Away Day.  What can you give away? Will you? 
We give away things to thrift stores all the time. It's like recycling.  Of course I also shop thrift store regularly.  I have yet to find something I gave away on the sale racks, so that's good. The next pick up day for the local thrift stores is next week.  I just have to remember to get my bags out that morning...

2. Do you have a mantra? Please share with the class if you feel comfortable doing so. 
Nick and I have a mantra--It will all work out in the end--usually for the better.  Even if things look bleak, we always end up in a better place. It is hard to remember when we are in the middle of the stressful stuff, but we do manage to land on our feet.

3. Who does the grocery shopping in your house? How many times a week do you shop? Do you make a list or pray for inspiration in the produce aisle?
I do the grocery shopping, as I do the majority of the cooking.  I go once a week and I definitely have a list.  Going to the store without a list is worse for me than going when I'm hungry. The list reflects both the dinner "planning" I may have done and the snacking habits of boys. Without a list I can only cover the snacking habits.

4. Is there a TV show you're embarrassed to say you watch? You're going to tell us what it is, right?
I'm not really one for reality TV and those are the most guilty pleasure TV show out there, right? I truly find no fun in watching the "true" life of various levels of celebrities. I can hardly get into the competition shows and really can't find the dedication to watch weekly.  America's Got Talent or American Ninja Warrior would be the shows we would watch, if we can't find anything else to pass the time watching.

5. A recent article listed fifteen words we should eliminate from our (written) vocabulary in order to sound smarter-

that, went, honestly, absolutely, very, really, amazing, always, never, literally, just, maybe, stuff, things, and irregardless

Of the fifteen, which word is your most overused?
Maybe a misuse of That. It's not a word that should end sentences, but I find myself using it far more often than I should.

6. So apparently dying your hair gray (in your youth!) is a thing right now. It's called 'The Granny Hair' trend. Your thoughts? 
If it's truly a gray color, I'm not a fan, but if it's a sort of silver, then maybe...no.  Mast assuredly not one for the "granny hair trend" In our youth obsessed culture, honoring the elders of society is one thing, this doesn't seem to be doing any honoring.

7. A while back Buzz Feed asked members to share the most beautiful sentence they've read in a piece of literature. A hard thing to narrow down, at least for me, but let's try. What's one of the most beautiful sentences you've ever read in a piece of literature?
When I was 14 I was introduced to David Eddings and the fantasy books he wrote.  I am now introducing Turbo to them by reading in the car when we go on road trips.  He is as thoroughly captivated as I was with these books.  Below is a quote from one of his books.  He has a wry sense of humor and a slightly cynical outlook for some of his characters, but overall the books are about doing what needs to be done despite the apparent odds against you.
“Nothing that ever happens is so unimportant that it doesn't change things.”
― David Eddings, Polgara the Sorceress 
 

8. Insert your own random thought here.
And our weather has gone to pot again.  Well not totally to pot, but we are experiencing thunderstorms and rain and temps that barely make the upper 70s. I can't complain, the hotter it is the harder to cool off at night, but it's not exactly feeling like summer out there. We barely get an inch of precipitation per month in the summer.  So far we have gotten in June and half of July over three inches.  It's strange for us. But nice on the water bill, so there's that perk.

Randomly Tuesday

And here we are at Tuesday again.

Yeah, Tuesday is better than Monday--one day closer to the weekend at least...

So let's Random:

• My foot is getting better.  Having a meeting between foot and nail was not one of the better parts of our 4th of July festivities.  I have noticed that things take a bit longer to heal up any more.  The joys of getting older I guess.
• I ahve fallen in love with the Lindt Touch of Sea Salt Dark Chocolate.  So good!

•  I can believe in this whole-heartedly:

•  With Summer has come the "I'm Bored" calls of the kiddos.  We have two responses for that:

• Cause really, I can find something that needs doing.  They won't like it but they wouldn't be bored...

So have a great week everyone!
Join in on the random fun  with  Stacy.

Nice Mix

So this last weekend was a nice mix of activity and relaxing.  Since nick is headed off this week for work, he really didn't want an activity packed weekend. So we tried to deliver.
Friday afternoon we kept it real and just relaxed. Hung out at home and did next to nothing.  Saturday morning was the parade for our town's annual summer celebration. It was a good parade, but not as long as last year's parade.
Saturday afternoon, we smoked country style ribs and had friends over for Mojitos and good times. I needed to use some mint anyway. Fun was had by all.
Sunday was a pretty lazy day.  We watched Indiana Jones movies and kicked back. A nice way for Nick to spend the day before heading out.
Now we get to face a Monday.

And now for MMMM.  Freebie week so lets see what trips my fancy this week:

Sam Hunt with House Party:

Thomas Rhett with Crash and Burn:

And a throwback: Eric Church with Springsteen

Hodgepodge Water Fun

Here goes:

1. When did you last 'swim against the tide'? Explain.
It is so easy to just go with the flow but far more rewarding to swim against the tide.  The biggest one for me was when I went back to school to attain my Geology B.S. The rewards from that have been great and I'm getting to do interesting work so there's that.

2. What's the last self-help or self-improvement book you read? 
Self Help/Self Improvment are not my cup of tea.  I'm not really sure if I have ever read one.

3. "Tolerance is a tremendous virtue, but the immediate neighbors of tolerance are apathy and weakness." (Sir James Goldsmith) 

Agree or disagree? Discuss. With civility please, because I think we have a good thing going in our very diverse (in geography, age, religion, political persuasion, ethnicity, marital status, upbringing, and cooking abilities) neighborhood here on This Side of the Pond.
Tolerance is a virtue, one that is lacking in today's world.  You believe what you want to believe, I will believe what I want to believe and we can agree to disagree on the things that we have a difference of opinion on.
However, I do think that on most issues, people should have an opinion of some sort. You can stand up for that opinion but you shouldn't take the stand that your way is the only way. Variation is the spice of life.  If everyone thought the same way, life would be terribly boring.

4. What is one of your most vivid memories of the kitchen from your childhood?
Thanksgiving morning.  The image of my mother finishing the gravy and stuffing, another friend working on the mashed potatoes she brought, another working on the sweet potatoes, someone else snitching tastes.  A sort of organized chaos, but still homey and warm ond comforting.

5. How did/do your own children's summers compare with your summers as a child? If you're not a parent, answer as it relates to what you've observed about the current generation of children vs. your own childhood.
They have more varied entertainments. Electronic entertainments.  I grew up in a rural area, outside of a small town--like 3200 people small. There wasn't much to do.  I worked my way through the local library in the summers. I was a voracious reader.  We did watch movies a lot too.
My kids have Kindles, Xbox, Youtube, and computer games.  Books are available to them, but only Bruiser will become a reader for enjoyment, I think.

6. Tell us what body of water you would most like to be on or near today, and why? 
Torch Lake in Michigan.  We stayed in a cabin about 20 yards from the shore and it was wonderful.  The water is clear, blue and warm and perfect for playing in.

7.  Share a favorite song about water, or a favorite song with the word water in it's title, or a favorite song to listen to as you sit beside the water.
Brad Paisley With Water:

8. Insert your own random thought here. 
After a stretch of warm weather, we now have rain.  The rain is nice because we don't have to water the grass, but it has definitely cooled off.  Getting three days of rain is unusual for us.  We more normally get thunderstorm down pours/hail. Not that I'm complaining about the rain, but it is a bit abnormal for us.

Almost Like a Vacation

So, we took an extra day off for the holiday weekend and we had a great time.  Shall we tell you about it random style?

• The weather was fantastic for Friday and Saturday.  Our friends had their campers set up at the lake, close to a cove so the kids (and adults) could easily play in the water.
• We took out our sit on kayaks and they were a huge hit.  So much a hit that several of the people we hung out with just might be getting some of their own.
• There was also a motor boat that was great for twoing a tube.  Turbo had a good run and held on for the entire ride.

• Now, I would have been in the water more but...I just so happened to find a board with a nail in it to step on.  Which necessitated a trip to urgent care for a tetanus shot, as I could not remember when I last had one.  I was gimp girl for the rest of the weekend.

• Sunday we had rain, but since I spent most of it doing laundry it wasn't that bad.  I was totally on top of the laundry too and got everything floded and put away--even the towels.  Go me!
• We did take Bruiser to see the firework show Saturday night.  He loved it, but wished it wasn't so late at night.  The words of a six year old.

 

And that was our weekend.
Join in on the random fun  with  Stacy.

Hodgepodge Freedom

And go:

1. On Saturday July 4th America celebrates her Independence. (If you're not American,  feel free to answer in terms of a national holiday in your own country) What is your favorite thing about the day? Your favorite food on the 4th? Do you fly a flag at your house? Fireworks-yay or nay? Any special plans this year?
I love spending the day doing something we all enjoy--usually we go camping. This year, we will be spending time at a local lake and enjoying the sun and fun with friends.  Then we hope to take Bruiser to his first fireworks show.
We don't fly a flag, but have had a flag themed windsock. I love fireworks shows.  Growing up we lived outside of town and had our own fun with small fireworks--glow worms, snakes, smoke bombs, sparklers and a few firecrackers.  I have fond memories of those days.

2. What's something you recently got for free? 
I have two cruiser type bicycles in the backyard, both of which were free.  They need a bit of tuning and then I have a cruiser to pedal to work.

3.  The Statue of Liberty, The Liberty Bell, The Washington Monument, or Mount Rushmore...how many on the list have you seen? What is your favorite historical American monument, and why?
I have climbed to the crown of the Statue of Liberty and have been to Mount Rushmore a couple of times.  I would go see either of them again.  Someday I would like to visit Washington DC just to see all the monuments there.

4. When it comes to the news are you more ostrich (stick my head in the sand) or hog (they have room to take a whole lot in)? How much attention have you given the recent news reports regarding ISIS and the acts of terror they've perpetrated against those who do not share their beliefs or support their cause?
I tend more toward the ostrich than a hog.  I like to know what's going on, but I do think we get over saturated with news sometimes.  It seems that the news goes on and on ad nauseam. I'm a more get to the point and move on type.

5. We're talking plain ice cream...vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry? Choose one. 
Chocolate is always good, but I do enjoy strawberry.  Vanilla will do when there's no other option, or that line is shorter.

6. Share a song you love containing the word 'stars' in the lyrics or title?
Kenny Chesney With Big Star:

7. Describe and/or say goodbye to June with an acrostic.
Just chilling in the shade
Under the cottonwood trees
Not worried about anthing
Each day getting better and better.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
We are half way through the year now.  It seems to be going by so fast.  And we just don't seem to be doing  all we wanted to.  Life keeps getting in the way.  Strange how that happens. But we are in a good place right now.  We don't have to move to a new town.  the kids are healthy.  We are doing pretty great actually.  Now to schedule in the fun...