Friday Favorites

Click Pic for Link

Favorite Lounge Wear

This comes in a lot of colors too!

Favorite Small Bathroom Organizer

This is really cute.. .if you click on the pic, you can see the space inside of it - it can hold toilet paper, or some cleaner or soap or small washclothes.

Favorite Blazer

 I've been looking for some cute blazers.  They just make a basic outfit look so much better - classier.
I used to wear blazers like crazy in the 90's... glad to see them back!

Favorite Kitchen Chopper

I got one of these & forgot about having it...then I saw a video on YouTube of someone using one & I was like - HOLD UP - I HAVE THAT. 
It has been game changer for me. I'm forever cutting up an onion & some sort of pepper - or mushroom -basically every night. This makes it so nice to have it small & uniform shape.  
Plus, it takes out my aggression to slam slam SLAM it down!

Favorite Sweater Hack

The good ole Dickey's! LOL... Still makes me giggle like a middle school kid.
But man, these look better than the turtleneck ones they had back in the day... 

looking at you Cousin Eddie!

Seriously though... as someone who doesnt like the bulk under a shirt - nor like the heat of additional clothing (Thanks Menopause) - I really do like this idea.

Favorite Shoes

I'm going to need these for the warmer days ahead - even just to walk outside around the house or throw on to run to the store.

Favorite Make Up

I havent tried this yet, but I'm all about a smooth finish on this wrinkly face.
& I love Elf products because they're not costly to try things out!
I may have to give this a go.
Anyone try putty's ... do you like it?

Favorite Ice Maker

Am I late to this game knowing how this works?

You pour water in this, twist on the lid - that's it!
No more putting water in a tray & having to do a balance act, or make sure it lays totally flat so it doesnt spill.
This, you pour in, then when it freezes, just crunch the container to release it off the walls & pour the ice cups out!

& they're pretty! Pretty ice cubes scientifically make ice coffee better! FACTS

Favorite Funnies

HAPPY FRIDAY Y'ALL!!!

Turn those clocks forward this weekend!

Hodgepodge... you ready for some 1990 pics!

 

Joining with Joyce 

1. We're in to a season students call 'spring break'. Did you/your family travel over spring breaks when you were growing up?  Tell us something about a 'spring break' you remember (from childhood or adulthood, either one). 

My family never did travel during Spring Break.  My dad was a factory worker & we only got a vacation during the fall - that is if we could afford a trip even then ... but ironically, the fall is when I still take off at work myself.  Family legacy travels down the line. 

I do remember traveling with my friend & her family during my Senior Year to around the Myrtle Beach area.  It was VERY memorable.  I went with one of my best friends & her little sister brought one of her friends. It was a girls trip as their mom had to go down for, I believe, business. I can remember one evening we went to the movie theater & watched Pretty Woman too.  Anytime I hear the song, "It Must have been Love" by Roxette... ALL THE MEMORIES!

Look at how tan I was!!!
& those black sandals came back in style!
& do you know, I STILL have that Mickey Mouse shirt!

2. Last thing you broke? Was it a big deal? 

My fingernails... I've on a kick where my nails are just trash. They wont grow, they're like paper, they bend & crack & break at any sort of activity. I dont get it. I've been trying different strength polishes... nothing is working.  Anyone know any tricks to get them back in shape?

3. March 7th is National Cereal Day...are you a fan? What's your favorite? If not cereal what's your favorite breakfast? Your typical breakfast? 

...... why..... WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY is this question on the day I try to come back to Hodgepodge?

If you know anything about me - or if you're new around these parts... nope. NOPE -NOPEEEE!  Its called "The C-word" to me because I cant even talk about it... I can smell it now... & I'm really gagging...

My typical breakfast... usually an egg of some form. On a english muffin, or a breakfast burrito...its about the only protein I get in a day. Sadly.

4. Break ground, break of dawn, break down, break the bank, break one's stride, break the ice, break a law, break a habit, break bread...choose one of the idioms listed and tell us how it applies to your life currently. 

Why does "break down" feel appropriate lately in these crazy days?

& whose going to say "Break a law" ... I need to find people that say that & hear these stories!

I feel like "break the bank" is appropriate lately. I've been watching my budget - started a budget planner. & WOW... I sure like to spend money. & lately, I just cant stop buying books. Like, the struggle is really REAL.  Why cant things just be free?

5. Where do you go to connect with friends and family? What do you like to do most when you're home alone? 

Go to connect with friends & family?... I'm confused. Family - its just random. Usually someone is visiting - or we connect on social media- or texts - just every day stuff ...friends? You'll usually find us in a coffee shop or out for lunch.

Me at home & what I like to do? ... a book in hand.  Easy answer! & with the warmer air coming in soon - a book in the hand while I'm outside! COME ON BABY!!!!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Can you believe we're turning the clock back this weekend?  I struggle so hard with the time change. Like, it takes me a full week of adapting to losing an hour's sleep. Maybe this year, it wont be as bad. I mean, I'm now fully in the habit of waking up every 3 hours with Zoe - my sleep patterns are just nightmarish.  Hopefully it wont be too severe on me this year.

But GLORY! HALLELUJAH! PRAISE! We have more light at night. I cant even begin to express my joy in that. Every time we get through winter - I feel like I've ran a ultramarathon & I crossed the finish line. WE DID IT!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Winds... then hail, floods & darkness... what's next

 It really was an unbelievable week in our neck of the woods.  I had jokingly posted what the next plague was going to be.... but really, its not too funny anymore.

You know the winds that ripped through our area last Monday knocking down my mom's tree.  We also found about 20% of her shingles on the roof of her garage has blown off too...of course.

Then Wednesday, we ended up having a storm roll through that brought so much hail - it was CRAZY! I have never in my years of living ever seen hail like that before. The SOUND of it too... it was chilling. Sounded like our house was being under attack.  It was just binging off the roof & hitting the windows so hard, I thought the glass would break.  

Look at this...

You can see white everywhere. Look out in the yard, it looks like snow!

I took Zoe to go potty about an hour later & there was STILL ice piles laying every where.  I'm glad my car was in the garage - all I have to say about that.

Friday morning, we woke up to our back yard basically flooded.  Sure.  I need a back yard pool installed by Mother Nature.

I work from home on Fridays & only 45 minutes into work, our wifi went down due to the storms & guess what - more winds!  I ended up packing up my stuff & heading into the office.  I was about half way there & got notice that the wifi was back up, but I figured it was going to be a rough day, so I went ahead & went into the office.

It was like a ghost town there. Our schools were actually canceled due to the winds & storms coming in. I didnt even know that till a coworker told me. 

Being on the 28th floor in the middle of all day storms & winds gusting at 50-60 mph... that was a new experience. 

I got a call from Ricky to tell me our electricity finally popped out around 2:30... & that's all she wrote on that.

Luckily, me being a reader, I have a nightlight that goes around my neck so I had a book that I had just started so I was good to go.  

Plus, Ricky had rigged up some sort of battery for a tool into a little antenna TV.  We ended up holing up in my library & watched the 20/20 special on the Murdaugh trial - which... did anyone watch all of that crazy mess?  Its all so tragic & sad... & just crazy!... but the TV is like a little 7 inch tv.  Our vision was strained FOR SURE....but it was nice to have a little bit of "normalcy" with the TV on during the night.

The bad thing was the temperature. It got down to 32degrees & our house never got below 60, but it just felt bone cold.  I think it didnt help that we have Zoe who goes out every 3 hours through the night. So we'd go outside & where you could usually run inside & warm up, it just wasn't happening this time. It was throwing another sweatshirt on & another blanket after each pee run.

When we woke up & it was still off, I was bummed. I had big hopes that we'd be up & running when my eyes opened.  Nope.... at least I watched the sun come up & opened the windows to get all the warmth in.

Five layers of tops, a scarf around my neck... but the SUN shinning on my face

We headed out to get breakfast... & I told Ricky, I'm needing coffee NOW! It was funny though because a local coffee shop, their line was wrapped around the building & out to the road. I wasn't alone in my need of caffeine.

But driving down the highway, it looked like a tornado had ripped through everywhere. I cant even begin to tell you how many trees - HUGE trees- we saw down. & the limbs & branches... it was just jaw dropping.  There ended up being over 9,000 people out just in our area that uses the electric company we have.  

We were in the 784 outage area

While we were out for breakfast, my brother text me & told me they just got up... & I called my mom & hers had come on earlier - YAHOO... we were all up & running by the afternoon.  PRAISE THE LORD! When our power came on, Ricky & I literally ran to each other & hugged & screamed like we had won the lottery.  True story.  You really never know the things you take for granted sometimes.

The rest of the day, it was just charging up everything again & just relaxing...finally! A sunny day!

Not too much dramatics for the last part of the weekend...a lot of cleaning up.  I'm just over all the weather trauma.  & I'm seeing that the country is getting plummeted with snow & winter storms...its just nuts.

I guess its why they say March comes in roaring like a lion, goes out like a lamb. I've heard enough ROARING for awhile thankyouverymuch.   We'll be back down to normal temps, which means freezing nights- I hope we dont lose all our budding flowers that have popped up.  As long as its calm though, I'll be happy.

SIDE NOTE - a lot of Louisville is still down with power... so giving a big HUG to everyone going on day 3 of no power!!!

How was your weekend?

Do anything fun - or did you relax?

February 2023- All the Good Things

 

Joining with Jen who hosts weekly Thankful Thursday!

Be sure to visit her!

1 - Hot Chocolate & Sweet treat break at work.  ... just what it says. Work sent out an email saying to get us through the cold days we've been going through, they had Panera deliver some hot chocolate & cookies & brownies. YUM. 

2. Courage to take a leap of faith!

3. Encouragement from Hubby!

4. Moosa online workout - they have some good music! I need music & I've been so let down with Beachbody & some other work out apps that either use generic elevator sounding music, or no music at all. WHAT?

5. Christmas tree is down!!! That's so early for us!

6.  Sweet text messages from Ricky boosting up my confidence.

7.  Coworkers who stand up for one another!

8.  Picking up Subway for a quick dinner after shopping with mom

9.  A good cry - sometimes its much needed.

10.  Treadmill walk at lunch.  Such a good benefit of working from home & getting that work out in during the day.

11.  New Coffee Recipes to try.

12.  My brother was OK after needing to go to the ER with chest pains

13. A good walk at lunch.

14.  Waking up to a Valentine surprise in the kitchen. & love throughout the day!

15.  The temp hit the 70's... give me these glimpses of Spring!!!

16. Coworker got my printer hooked up for me at work. IT kept letting it drop on the radar so we always say our team has to take care of each other to get things done.

17.  A lazy night after an INCREDIBLY busy day.

18.  Finally got to sleep in! Zoe is just our night owl & we're up all through the night with her - multiple times. I dont know the last time I actually slept through the night.

19.  The fun of picking  & starting a new book!

20.  Day off work!!! So needed!

21. My sweet bloggy friend Andrea sent me the cutest mug!!! I am a Rae Dunn fan anyways (the mugs are SOOOO big) but this one... made me squeal with joy seeing Belle on the back of it!

22. $1.00 off gas! WAHOOO for Kroger Fuel Points!

23. Support!

24.  So glad my work from home day was today - my stomach just kept me in a state of nausea all day. I'm so glad I could keep my sweats on & just be  more relaxed at home.

25. Panera breakfast date.

26. New book at Target with gift card.

27. So glad the fallen tree missed mom's house in the most damaging way! We'll take a broken porch over a broken roof & kitchen!

28. Our new modem was easy peasy to set up!!!!

What good things happened in your February?

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And that's the way the wind blows....

 Here I say I'm going to get back to blogging & then miss yesterday.

Well, it wasn't intentional.  We had no power most of the day - & then when it came on, it blew out our Modem. So we had no TV, no internet, no phones, no radio, no Alexa to tell me what is going on in the world... I was lost! Well, maybe not lost. I finished my 18th book of the year... there's that. 

But it was definitely quite around the house ... & I couldnt blog!

That's the least of our worries though around here.  

I got a phone call from mom telling me to come over to her house - she was sitting on the porch.

Mom - why are you sitting on the porch in 55 mph winds?

I get over there & everything looked seemingly ok.... & then we went to the back of her porch.

Look at my mom teetering on the edge of this porch that's ready to bust through! She's a daredevil that gal!

But this HUGE tree... just knocked right on over by the wind.

Look at how far the tree was from the house & that it actually hit is crazy!

Tore down siding, went through the roof over her covered porch

In all honesty - PRAISE THE LORD!!!! Because a few feet over, & that tree would have gone through her kitchen! THAT would have been a nightmare.  But she is safe - the house is OK.  For the most part.  Of course, the porch is going to have to be replaced. & it crushed a trailer.  

I'm glad it didnt swing out & knock other trees too - in a domino effect.

You dont really think wind is that big of a deal....You can bet we'll be watching for wind advisory & warnings & take them more seriously.

On a good note - we got a new modem & it was easy to set up.  We are not a technology couple & I even told a coworker to pray for my marriage as I left work, knowing we were going to be installing this together.  But lo & behold, it wasn't too bad. I got Spectrum on my phone with an online chat & they literally walked us through step by step... me relaying the instructions to Ricky & 15 minutes later - VIOLA! My Precious Alexa was back to tell me the latest temperature & play me a little diddy to get me dancing.  

Today is much better than yesterday.

Did you get any of the big gusts this week?

Have you ever had any wind damage?

Well hey there!

 Happy Monday everyone!

Hope everyone is doing well... & having a good 2nd month of the year. Can you believe we're heading into March? I know people say that - but SERIOUSLY! I just took my Christmas tree down 2 weeks ago.... which some of you know, that's early for me! (Truth!)

So, let's do a little recap update... what's been going on.

Vertigo... still there - but nothing like it has been. I'll have moments where it hits me & WHOOOOOAAAAA - you spin me round round baby round round. Its such a bothersome feeling. Like, the world shouldnt be moving all around you.  It IS better though. Its not an EVERY DAY thing now... just some times. 

I'm finding the weather effects it... sinus issues... if I lay flat in bed - or on my stomach, which is really odd. 

Shoulder pain... yep, totally still there.  Again, weather really effects it - & if I do a lot of motion. Like, I try to work out, get those joints/muscles moving. My body screams at me when I do! "I'M NOT READY!"... I hear you arm.

I'm still not able to get my arm up to put on a bra - not even close. But I CAN put it in my back pocket of my jeans - that's HUGE. & as high as I can get it behind my back... sigh....

I'm also trying to now get it to where I can put my arm on my hip.  Its still a struggle - but I can almost pick my arm up & place it there... progress, I'll take it where I can get it.

Weather... anyone else in the weirdest February weather spell ever? We've been in the high 70's one day & then in the 30's the next. While most of the country is in a winter blow out & the other half is sweating it out. What in the world?  We get both, in one week. 

Everything is blooming out now, our daffodils, my tulips are coming up... & I know that I know, we're going to get another snow storm.  It doesnt get this "springy" this early here.

Mom... I feel like its been awhile since I blogged - (I swear I'm trying my best to get back in the routine) - but last time, I feel like it was when mom had just gotten out of rehab with her cracked spine & she was having a rough go.  She's still in pain - bless her - she'll always have pain with that spine of hers - but she's doing OK.  She had another procedure where they did an out patient surgery where they did like a nerve block.  Didnt help one bit. ... she may need to do it again. Possibly 3 times. She's willing to do something to ease the pain.  

Hubby ... he's been on a roll of having another acid-reflux attack. He has Barrett's esophagus & he'll get some horrible things that go with this. Burning so bad, it goes to the upper back, even hurts the back of his neck. Can't eat - hurts to drink.  Just misery.  We're trying to pump him with all the antiacids to help.  I think it hurts him the most that he cant drink coffee right now.  I feel that.

This weekend... we had a very nice weekend. Of course, me - a lot of reading. I've even started getting my outside reading in with these warmer temps.  I just finished my 17th book of the year! Can you believe it? ... Honestly, reading is probably the biggest reason I've not blogged lately.  

I'll come home & walk/work out - then make dinner & clean the house & then, when I would normally blog, I just want to read.  With this crazy, insane, scary news that comes on every night, I just want to tuck away from the world & fall into a story of my choosing.  Hence, all the books so far this year.

Am I running away from life & the world? You betcha!

But I do miss the memory keeping my blog holds for me... Maybe March will be my turn around month!

Anyhoo.... we had some auto repairs done this weekend - & being out early on Saturday, we did a Panera breakfast date - our favorite!

Dont get me started on this car repair nightmare.  Poor Ricky spent near $800.00 for the repair - only to get in the car & see it caused ANOTHER issue that they wouldnt fix - unless we wanted to spend $2000.00. My Lord.  Its so frustrating when you have to depend on businesses & people to be honest & helpful... & they're not.

Ricky was talking about reporting it & we've watched way too much criminal documentaries & murder shows because I'm like, this guy has our address.  You report him & he's coming to our house & retaliation. Am I the only one who thinks people are just crazy enough any more to do something like that?

... what else did we do this weekend?....

Snuck in a Target trip, which I was excited to use a gift card & picked up another book.

& Hubby went into Home Depot for his next project.

The dogs have DEMOLISHED our back yard.  Like, its a mud-fest back there.  Ricky is trying to fence off areas to grow grass in places  in rotation.  We'll see if this works.  Project accepted.

I finished watching The Traitors on Peacock... & I have feelings on this. Anyone else watch this? I need to discuss. While I enjoy a good reality competition show... I actually struggled a bit with this when there are sweet, honest, good people who are getting hurt in trusting others.  I dont know...Maybe I just need to stick to my books.

I wont give any spoilers on who wins... but seriously ... I need to discuss!

I also watched the movie this weekend, Can you Keep a Secret? thats on Netflix...only to realize, I have the book & read it yearsss ago. After watching, I pulled the book out & thumbed through & saw that some of the wording in the movie was EXACT to the book. I like that - thank you Netflix.

I just love this actress too - Alexandra Daddario - she's also the person in Mayfair Witches if anyone is watching that too.  

Delivery.... & what were some of the deliveries I got this weekend! ... missing a few weeks of blogging, I need to do a BIG post of some deliveries I've gotten... but this one, I'm super excited about.

I got some 20 oz glasses with glass straws... I've been on a kick watching all the ways to make lattes & different coffee drinks. Putting it in these glasses, its just so visually satisfying to see the drinks mix.  I love the bamboo top too.. & that glass straw! I'll post some pics of the drinks I'm making later....because I'm back to blogging, right? LOL

Click HERE for link

I also got a new phone case in the mail...I love having a wallet sort of cover for my phone so I can just grab it & go & have my license & a credit card in case I'm in need of something to buy.  Well, the same one I've always bought & rebought - it stretches out & it just flips open to easily - & the credit card slots stretch out - so tried this for the first time... LOVING IT.

Click HERE for link

I like it has more slots for cards... & it has a wristlet strap on it. Perfect for what I need.

... so... nothing else comes to mind...

Any questions about anything I've not updated on lately?

Anything in your life I need to know - catch me up!!!!