Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Um, hello?

I feel a little bit like I'm crashing a party, but I'm going to jump right in. I'm Catherine, and it's very nice to meet you all!

1. Something on your October calendar that makes you smile? 

Daughter's fall break starts in a week! She will be home from college for five days and I can't wait to see her. I've even DVR'd Say Anything for us to watch together...and I am hoping she shares my appreciation for John Cusack. (Or is that just a Generation X thing?)

2. Food for the soul or music for the soul...which camp are you in? Tell us why. 

When I was younger, I might have answered music, but now, it's definitely food: Food brings people together, and with every meal I make for my family I am showing my love for them. Plus, what could feed the soul more than the taste of homemade chocolate ice cream on a hot summer night?

3. What are two or three things you've learned recently as the result of an online search? 

That I might be developing rosacea (thank you, Dr. Google), that it might be caused by microscopic skin mites (ew!), and that tea tree oil might treat it effectively.

That in Michigan's UP some speak a Yooper dialect. (When we were in Michigan I thought I should educate myself a little.) I am fascinated by regional accents and dialects, having grown up pahking the cah and drinking "tonic" (soda). Yooper incorporates Finnish words and even shares grammatical constructions from Finnish--like dropping "to the" ("I'm going store"), because Finnish lacks articles and drops prepositions.

4. Share your favorite game day recipe.

Guacamole. Lots of tomatoes, no sour cream! (And although Williams Sonoma may want you to purchase the molcajete, I have always found that it comes out just fine with a regular old fork and bowl.)

Beef and black bean crockpot chili. So easy and so good! Martha knows what she's doing. Plus, bonus points for starting with dried beans...I feel like Ma Ingalls!

5. What are your five essential steps for creating the perfect morning routine? 

Breakfast for my son. My kids have been making their own lunches since about fourth grade (when they started complaining about what I was packing for them), but I still get up every weekday to make breakfast.
Breakfast for me. It's the same every day: granola with sliced almonds and dried cranberries. I make my own because gluten-free granola costs a fortune.
Coffee. Essential.
New York Times crossword puzzle (and then I read this blog; it is entertaining, mostly because Rex is such a curmudgeon).
To-do list. I can't function without one. Nothing gets done unless it is written down, and next thing you know, it's 11:30 and I'm still in my PJs.

6. What small thing have you taken note of today?

At Bed Bath & Beyond, once again I was the only person in the checkout line without any coupons. Drat!

7. Sum up your September in seven words or less. 

The Pope came and Philadelphia shut down.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

"All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well."

Julian of Norwich's words express my joy in times of happiness, and hold me up in times of sadness.

14 comments:

  1. Welcome to the Hodgepodge! Newcomers are always welcome here : ) I'm originally from the Phila. area and my sister lives in center city. She and her husband viewed the Pope's visit as they would a snow event. She had to work from home and her son's school was closed for two days. Talk about upsetting the routine around town! Also, I'm beyond that demographic you mention (only by a few years), and my daughters are all grown up sniff, but life is still pretty good. A little more maintenance, ahem, but still good. Thanks for playing along today!

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    1. Thanks, Joyce! Yes...my daughter is in school in Philly, and classes were cancelled for them too! She said it was eerie, being in the city with no cars on the roads. Glad to hear that you're enjoying your empty nest! It gives me hope for the future ;)

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  2. So happy that you joined us for Hodgepodge today! Loved reading all your answers! Hope you'll join us, again!

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  3. I'm a Boomer (on the tail end -- I'm 54) and I love Say Anything and John Cusack! Did you see the movie he was in recently as one of the Beach Boys? If not, be sure to rent it. Hope you have a great week and welcome to the Hodgepodge!

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    1. Hi Paige! No, I haven't seen it. I remember planning to; I'm not sure what happened to prevent us. It's a rare movie that both my husband (Beach Boys fan) and I (Cusack fan) wanted to see equally! Thanks for the reminder, we'll have to On Demand it soon!

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  4. Hi there. I've been an empty nester for a little while now and am enjoying it but I do love it when the kids visit. I'm with you on to do lists, especially as I'm not a morning person.

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    1. Hi Wendy! I'm so glad I found this group of bloggers--you are all making me feel better about my emptying nest! :)

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  5. Hi, Nice to meet you. Welcome to the Hodgepodge. Isn't it fun?

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  6. I love accents and dialects too! One thing I've noticed since beginning to blog, is, for example, 'My car needs washed,' instead of 'my car needs to be washed.' I have no idea where that originates, but it's the kind of thing I find fascinating! Here in Wisconsin, most of us would say, 'I'm going to Grandma's.' In the eastern part of the state, however, they say, 'I'm going by Grandma's.'. Okay, now I'll stop taking up all your comment space. :-))

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    1. Yes! We used to hear "my car needs washed" all the time when we lived in Pittsburgh! Funny....

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  7. Welcome to the HP! It's always so interesting to read everyone's answers. Have a great rest of the week!

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