Spring Cleaning ~ It is the Hodgepodge

It is Wednesday and it is time for the Hodgepodge.

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun. 

 1. What are two or three expectations you have of yourself?

1. To be positive ~ I try to be as positive as I can in all situations. I have failed at times, but when I do, I try to come in with a comeback. 

 2. To make someone smile or laugh everyday.

 2. In what way does your outdoor space need sprucing up this spring?

We had to cut down four trees this past Autumn/Winter. We just finished the last one on Thursday. We have some landscaping to do, raking, pile up wood and burn some brush.

 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?

No, I have not seen any of the following on the list. 

The one I would like to visit would be Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon.

Prettiest waterfall not on the list...

 Big Manitou Falls

highest waterfall in Wisconsin

Pattison State Park

 4. Looking back, what's something you wish you'd done as a teenager?

Spent more time with my Grandma Martha.

 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 a good bowl of split pea and ham soup....I have not had one in years. Boo :-(

And a slice of pizza topped with ham and pineapple. Yummy! 

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

I honestly do not know.

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.  

'a fool's errand'

On getting my dear sweet boys to understand the importance of keeping their room clean.

 8.  Insert your own random thought here.

My best April Fools trick...I serve the boys Oatmeal with worms.

Have a great week!

  

Mice in the Bed

 Mice in the Bed!

Catsby is our rescue kitten. He loves fuzzy rattle mice.

He has a stash of them that he carries around and deposits in different areas of the house. In the night, he carries his mice and puts them on our beds. Both my boys wake each morning with mice in the bed and I do too!

Thank you for all the prayers and well wishes for Catsby. A few weeks ago he had a seizure. He is doing better. We hope he does not have another. The seizure he had really took everything out of him. It took him a week to recover. 

We all are happy to have mice in our bed again, we know Catsby is feeling better.

Happy Easter ~ It is the Hodgepodge

Happy Easter

Welcome to the Hodgepodge.

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

 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 sprung here in Wisconsin. The robins are here, pussy willows are in bloom and the we have MUD!! Good old mud. 

My favorite thing about spring is hearing the birds in the morning. This morning we had a flock of Red Winged Blackbirds singing away. It was great!

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

The boys have enjoyed a great school year. The end is near! I am so happy they had a fun year and that they enjoy learning.

 3. How does Easter impact you?

Good Friday service impacts me. Every year!

Easter morning always brings a smile to my face.

He Has Risen!

  4. I saw this somewhere on Facebook 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 before you take the first bite? dropping a just-purchased Starbucks/Dunkin Donuts coffee? opening the peanut butter jar and finding it empty? upending onto the sidewalk 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? 

 

   upending onto the sidewalk a just-purchased ice cream cone

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

Ha! This one made me laugh...this was our basement wall last spring!!

A wing and a prayer!

We had to wait a month and a few weeks before this...

 

We were so thankful all went well.

6. Do you feel underappreciated? In what way?

I am so thankful to say, no, I feel appreciated by my family, friends and the folks I volunteer for.

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

A greenhouse.

 8. Insert your own random thought here.

One of our favorite Easter traditions is opening and reading the Easter story using Resurrection eggs.

Happy Easter

♥ 

Carla

 

 

 

Courtesy ~ Caution ~ Common Sense

These three prevent most accidents

courtesy

caution

common sense

Have a great weekend!

 ♥

 Carla

 

 

 

It is the Luck of the Irish ~ It is the Hodgepodge

It is Wednesday! It is time for the Hodgepodge.

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

1. What do you think about luck?

I will say, "that was lucky" or be silly and do a silly thing with my dice in a game for "luck"

Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not.

~source~

2. Not counting your own backyard, what's a favorite green space in your town, city, or state?

My parents farm.

3. How do you make your life more complex than it needs to be?

 
  Worry about things that I have no control over.

4. I read here the three places you should visit with friends. They are-New York City, Hawaii, and Amsterdam (rent a bike, walk along the canal, visit one of their world class museums). I felt the need to expound on that one. Moving on...Of the three places listed which would you most like to visit with friends? What's one place not on the list you think should be visited with friends?

I would pick New York City.

Lake Superior...a picnic on the South Shores of Lake Superior.

5. What's the last live performance you saw? On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being best) how would you rate it?

For my birthday we went to The Nutcracker. I would give it a 9! It was well done.

 6. March 14th is National Potato Chip Day. Are you a fan? Your favorite flavor? Besides potato, what's your favorite chip type of snack?

I like the Kettle Baked Potato Chips. I am a big fan of baked potato chips. 

We do not have chips in our house everyday. They are a treat for us. If they have a sale at the market for if we are planning a fun picnic.

I like the Sea Salt flavor.

I like Cool Ranch Doritos. I like to make a taco salad with Cool Ranch Doritos.

7.What rule is most important in your home?

If we accidentally make a mess we clean it up.

 8.  Insert your own random thought here. 

Our new little kitten, Catsby, had a seizure on Saturday night.

We rescued Catsby from a sad situation in October of 2015.

Our boys have fallen in love with him. The seizure was scary to witness. After he seemed to forget who, where and everything about our loving home. 

Monday he was still not doing very well.

Tuesday he began to be himself again.

 

Funny on Monday

Funny on Monday

This is our cat Max in the shower.

Have a great week!

 

Denim Bag Easter Baskets

Easter is just a few weeks away! I  am starting to think up fun baskets for my mom and sister.

With some old jeans and fabric, you can make your own denim bag baskets.

 I did not have a pattern, I just used the legs of the jeans to create the tote.

I used the pocket of the jeans to dress the tote up.

I made one for my mom and one for my sister.

I filled each tote with fun little gifts.

Fun stationary, small Kleenex packs, pens, candy and coffee.

 

 What are some unique Easter baskets that you have created or received?

 

It is a Faith, Love, Hope and Peace Hodgepodge

My mom and little me.

Hello, Wednesday!

It is time for the Hodgepodge.

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

  

Click here to join in the fun. 

 1. March is National Women's History Month. In that vein, who are three women who've been influential in your life? How so? 

My Mom ~ she has taught me so many things. She has been patient with me. She encourages me as a mother. She helps our family in all ways that she can.

We do not live in the same community. We do not see each other often. But that does not stop her from helping, sending hugs as little things in the mail and encouraging all of us.

My Grandma Vida ~ She was just fun to grow up with. She loved her family and friends. She also taught me so many skills.

My Grandma Martha ~ She was fun to grow up with. She was a rural mail carrier for 40 years. I went with her on her route many times. Those times have great memories. I learned from my Grandma Martha to help those in need. She was very generous.

2. In what ways do you think women have it easier than men? 

 

As a mother of boys, I think women are blessed in the way it is easy for us to communicate. I really can see that as my boys grow older.

 

 

3. What do you need most right now: faith, love, hope, or peace? 

 

Peace

I am starting to fret over the up coming election.

I need to remember God is in control!

 

 4. Do you have a collection? If so, what do you collect and why? 

 

 

I love collecting nature. I have rocks, sea glass, pine cones, feathers and birch bark added in my decor.

Heart shaped rocks are special finds. The one above is a larger heart shaped rock my son Sam found. I place it in a potted plant each Spring.

 

 

5. Plaids, checks, polka dots, stripes...your favorite?

 

 My husband and I received Stormy Kromer hats for Christmas a couple years ago.

 

I love plaid!

 

 6. In what ways are you the same as your childhood self?

 

 I love to giggle, laugh and make other people laugh!

7. You're a contestant on the TV game show Jeopardy. What category will you ace?  

Geography

 

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

 

 

I think Mud Season has arrived in Wisconsin.

We enjoyed temperatures in the 60's the last few days.

 

Think Spring!

 

 

Baked Bananas with Ice Cream

Baked Bananas with Ice Cream

Recipe by ~ Susan Branch

Put one ripe, unpeeled banana (per person) on a cookie sheet. 

Bake at 350 ° until it turns completely black, about 20 minuets.

Slit open and moosh up, same as you would with a baked potato.

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a sprinkle of ground coffee.

~ I serve mine with chocolate ~

This recipe is fun to do with kids. Baking the unpeeled banana is totally Epic!

 (new word my boys like to say, Epic)

Enjoy!

 

On the Road Friday ~ Gundy's Canyon ~ Blue Hills Wisconsin

It is Friday. It is time to take a trip. 

We are heading to Gundy's Canyon today, in the Blue Hills of Rusk County, Wisconsin.

We hiked to Gundy's Canyon in January.

When we headed out on our hike we had a cold wind blowing on us. As we ventured into the canyon we could no longer feel the wind. It was a pleasant day for a winter hike with the canyon blocking the wind.

 Beautiful snow, each flake a different design.

 An Oak leaf hidden in a dusting of snow.

 Winter sun making the day bright.

 A huge rock formation. There are several different rock formations in the canyon.

A wall of rocks on three sides.

Thank you for joining me on a trip to Gundy's Canyon.

Wishing you a great weekend!

 

Pass the Peanut Butter Cookies ~ It is the Hodgepodge

Dreaming of Daffodils

Hello, it is Wednesday. It is time for the Hodgepodge. 

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

1. February ended with an extra 24 hours in 2016. What did you do with your bonus day?

I caught up on some housework.

2. What's something in your life that's grown by leaps and bounds in recent days, weeks, months, or years? I'm giving you lots of room to come up with an answer here, so no fair passing on this one.  

My boys appetite!  Tonight we made fish, sweet potato fries and peas. My youngest son took half the peas and my oldest son took half the sweet potato fries! My husband and I both laughed. I guess we judged wrong as to how much to prepare!

 3. Do you read reviews about a film before deciding if you'll see it? Did you watch The Oscars this year, and if so your thoughts on the program? How many of the Best Picture nominees had you seen prior to the broadcast? (Spotlight, The Martian, The Big Short, The Revenant, Mad Max: Fury Road, Room, and Brooklyn) If you watched The Oscars who gets your award for 'best dressed'?

I do review a film before deciding if I will watch it. We also have some good friends who like to share movies with us.

No, I did not watch The Oscars. I did hear some of what the host, Chris Rock had to say on the radio Monday morning.

We watched Bridge of Spies, excellent movie in our opinion.

4. When did you last have overnight houseguests? Give us your top three tips on being a good houseguest.

In November 2015 we  had overnight guests.

Top three tips on being a good houseguest

1.  Asking if you can help with anything...kitchen clean up, taking out the trash, playing with the kids

2. Respecting your host and the privacy of the host

3. I like to bring a gift for my host

 5. March 2nd is Peanut Butter Lover's Day. Will you be celebrating? If so, would you prefer a home made peanut butter cookie, a Reese's peanut butter cup, an old fashioned peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or shall I just hand you a jar and a tablespoon?

My husband makes the best peanut butter cookies in the world! He made them for me this weekend. I asked him to add chocolate chips. Yummy! I have already been celebrating this wonderful day. I had two cookies today!

  6. Why is failure important? Or isn't it?

~source~

I do think failure is important. I think we learn from it. I have read many books by Zig Ziglar.

I think he is/was one of the best positive life coaches.

One of my favorite quotes of his is the following,

"You do not fail if you get knocked down, you only fail if you stay knocked down."

 7. Share with us one fun thing on your March calendar.

My friend Marv will be coming back to Wisconsin. Marv is my gardening mentor and a dear family friend. I have shared many stories about him here at The River. He spends the winter in Texas. We all are excited to see him.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.  

"Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent." 

Carl Sandburg 

 

Old Fashioned Weather Forecasting

 

 

Hello March

 Did March come in like a lion or a lamb? 

 

 When clouds appear like towers, the Earth is refreshed by frequent showers.

Large, white clouds that look like cauliflower or castles in the sky indicate a lot of changing weather going on inside. Harmless clouds look like billowy cotton, not towers. If the clouds start to swell and turn gray, they'll probably turn into thunderstorms.

 Rainbow in the morning gives you fair warning.

A rainbow in the morning indicates a shower is to the west and you will most likely get rain.

 Ring around the moon? Rain real soon.

A ring around the moon usually signals an advancing warm front, which means precipitation. Under those conditions, high, thin clouds get lower and thicker as they pass over the moon. Ice crystals are reflected by the moon's light, causing a halo to appear.

Clear moon, frost soon.

When the night sky is clear, Earth's surface cools rapidly and there is no cloud cover to keep the heat in.  If the night is clear enough to see the moon and the temperature drops enough, frost will form.