Choo - Choo and it is The Hodgepodge

 

Once upon a time we took my mom on a train for Mother's Day Brunch.

 Me and my mom.

Choo - Choo

Can you hear the train coming? 

No matter if you can or if you cannot, 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. How do you define beauty? 

 

Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul.

St. Augustine

 

  2. Have you ever taken a trip by train? If so where did you go and what did you think of the experience? If not do you have any desire to do so? Where would you like to go? (You might find inspiration here-The Best Train Trips in The World)

 

Our family took a day trip on a train. We treated my mom to a Mother's Day Brunch on the train. It was a fun day. I am sharing some photos of the day below. 

 

Me and my husband... our first year of marriage.

 

 

 

My mom. All the mom's were given corsages as they boarded the train.

 

 

 

Enjoying our brunch as we choo choo along.

 

 

 

3. Shell shocked, bombshell, bandshell, shellacking, in a nutshell, walking on eggshells...choose one and tell us why you chose it, or how it relates to your life in some way currently.

 
  Shell shocked by the current comments regarding September 11, 2001.

 

  4. Tacos, pistachios, oysters, clams, eggs...your favorite food on the list that comes in/with a shell? 

 

I do enjoy eggs. I have an egg everyday for breakfast. They never get old for me. Yum!

I also enjoy tacos, but I do not usually eat them with a shell. 

 

  5. Are birthdays a big deal in your house? Is your own birthday a big deal in some way? Elaborate. 

 

Oh yes, birthdays are a big deal. We are to be sure to gather for birthdays. It might not be on the day, but we will get together at some point to celebrate.

 My birthday is a big deal to me. My birthday is 12/12. With that 12 is my favorite number. And my 12/12/2012 birthday was VERY special. I felt very loved by family and friends on 12/12/12.

 

 6. Insert your own random thought here. 

 

September, the month you get to enjoy all the hard work you put in during the garden season. We made salsa this weekend with some of our bounty.  

 

 

 

 

Go Bears!! And it is the Hodgepodge

 

 

Hello Friends,

That is me. I loved the Chicago Bears. Yep, I know I am a born and bread Wisconsin girl. And now you know a deep dark secret about this Wisconsin girl, she did not cheer for the Green Bay Packers.

It is Wednesday and that means it is time for the Hodgepodge.

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

 

 1. ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?  On a scale of 1-10 how much of a fan are you? (10 is never miss a game and 1 is I'm just here for the snacks). Who's your team? If you're playing along today, but live outside the US feel free to sub your feelings about futbol for the more American sport of football. 

 

Once upon a time...  I was a big football fan. I was a 10!! Take note of the above photo.

Things changed in the NFL and with the changes my excitement left me. I was seeing more politics on the field than football.

 

 2. What's something you currently have a game plan for managing? 

 

 My husband and I have some upcoming travel plans. It is time to get the planning in motion.

 

 3. Do you like chicken wings? I do like chicken wings.  Hot, mild, or some other flavor? I am more of a mild kind of gal with all foods.  What's a must have food for you on a tailgate menu? We tailgate at Milwaukee Brewer baseball games. Oh it is so fun to tailgate at Miller Park... yep I still call it Miller Park. We have brats.. the good old Wisconsin way.  I know tailgating isn't as big of a thing outside the US of A as it is inside the US of A, but you can also answer the question this way-what's a must have food for you at a sporting event viewing party? 

 

 

Me at Miller Park in 2016.. when it was still called Miller Park. The last time I  was at a game was in 2019. We had a fun, fun tailgate party and  the stadium was renamed, American Family Field. 

 

4. Teams typically have strict playbooks they follow. What is one unwritten rule or piece of advice in your 'life playbook' you think everyone should know? 

 

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company...a church....a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude...I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our attitudes.”
― Charles Swindoll 

 

 

 5. This is the week we remember and mourn all that was lost and changed on September 11, 2001. I always include a spot for bloggers to share anything they'd like to share about 9/11. Share as much or as little as you like. 

 

 

 

The Red Bandanna

Book by Tom Rinaldi

 

 One Sunday morning before church, when Welles Crowther was a young boy, his father gave him a red handkerchief for his back pocket. Welles kept it with him that day, and just about every day to come; it became a fixture and his signature.

A standout athlete growing up in Upper Nyack, NY, Welles was also a volunteer at the local fire department, along with his father. He cherished the necessity and the camaraderie, the meaning of the role. Fresh from college, he took a Wall Street job on the 104th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center, but the dream of becoming a firefighter with the FDNY remained.

When the Twin Towers fell, Welles’s parents had no idea what happened to him. In the unbearable days that followed, they came to accept that he would never come home. But the mystery of his final hours persisted. Eight months after the attacks, however, Welles’s mother read a news account from several survivors, badly hurt on the 78th floor of the South Tower, who said they and others had been led to safety by a stranger, carrying a woman on his back, down nearly twenty flights of stairs.  After leading them down, the young man turned around.  “I’m going back up,” was all he said.

The survivors didn’t know his name, but despite the smoke and panic, one of them remembered a single detail clearly: the man was wearing a red bandanna.

Tom Rinaldi’s The Red Bandanna is about a fearless choice, about a crucible of terror and the indomitable spirit to answer it. Examining one decision in the gravest situation, it celebrates the difference one life can make.

 

 

 6.Insert your own random thought here. 

 

Our morning glories are making me smile each and every day. 

Here is a smile for you. 

 

 

Late Summer Greetings and the Hodgepodge

 

The garden is full of late summer color.

 Peppers and tomato are ripening.

 

 And now for the Hodgepodge.

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

 1. How do you feel about the transition from lazy summer days to a busier fall routine?

 

 It is the opposite for me. My summer is far from lazy because of my work in the garden and my flowers. Once the evenings start to creep in earlier and the north wind starts to bring cold autumn air my cozy time will start.

 

 2. Your favorite cookie? 

 

Chocolate chip!! 

 

 3. What's something you've learned from a culture different than your own? 

 

2006 I went on a missions trip to Ukraine.  I learned many things while I was there. I worked at an orphanage. One of the things that stood out to me was the pride, the pride these street kids had for Ukraine. We had a big party on our last evening at the orphanage. We did face painting. They all wanted the Ukraine flag painted on them. I ran out of blue and yellow face paint.

What I learned from a culture different than my own, pride for Ukraine starts at a very young age and runs deep. 

 

4. Food critic, film critic, book critic, art critic...which hat would you most like to wear? Tell us why.

 

Food critic ... I love to try new recipes.

Recipes using new to me herbs, spices and more. 

YUM!  

 

 5. What's a small, random thing from your childhood that you still remember clearly? 

 

Our grandpa and grandma had a candy jar right by the door. We could take as much candy as we wanted. 

 

  6. Insert your own random thought here.  

 

She was found on the street. She was full of lice, dirty and hungry.

We poured out as much love as we could in the time we worked at the orphanage the summer of 2006. 

Every now and then I wonder how these children are doing today.  

 

 

Ice Cream and the Hodgepodge

 

Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

Hello Friends, 

It is Wednesday and that means it is time for the Hodgepodge.

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

  Click here to join the fun!

 1. August 19th is National Aviation Day...do you like to fly? Last time you were on an airplane? The date is chosen in honor of the history and development of aviation, and celebrated on the birthday of Orville Wright. Have you ever been to the Kitty Hawk area of North Carolina? The city of Dayton in Ohio (their birthplace)

No, I do not like to fly.

My last flight was long, long ago in 2011. 

No, I have not visited Kitty Hawk, North Carolina or Dayton, Ohio.

 2. In what area of your life do you tend to 'wing it'? Is this an area you should be winging?  

Fishing!! I really do not know what I am doing when I go fishing. I do have fun with my son Atticus when I go with him. We usually have some sort of added adventure of me getting my line tangled in a tree.

Yay, I am alright that I am winging it, I am having fun and that is what is important.

The photos below are from a fishing adventure with Atticus a few years ago. 

  

 

 

3. A favorite book, song, or movie that relates to flight in some way?   

Top Gun

" I feel the need, the need for speed."  

 

4. Soft serve, gelato, sherbet, frozen yogurt, or good old fashioned ice cream...what's your pleasure? Your favorite flavor? How often do you indulge?  

 I love my homemade ice cream.

My second favorite is Culver's ice cream.

Mint Chocolate Chip is my favorite.

We sometimes can go on an ice cream high, we have it often. Then all of a sudden we do not have it all that much. That usually happens during the cold Wisconsin winter.

 

 5. I never get tired of______________________. 

Flowers!! 

 

 6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We just returned from our summer bash on the farm. We had a great time visiting with family, eating good food, campfires at night, star gazing and laughs!!

Lots of belly laughs.

Yes, I went fishing with my son Atticus. An adventure it was indeed as I proceeded to get my line tangled in a tree, slid down the river bank and landed in the water.  And to top it off, I did catch a fish!!!  High Fives to Mom. 

Atticus caught more fish than I did. But you probably already guessed that. 

♥ 

 

Heading North

 

Episode #17 

We went to our favorite place on earth for our day date #17, Lake Superior.

We enjoyed doing a lot of stuff this day, it was a full day.

We visited Tetzner's Dairy.

Visited Houghton Falls.

Stopped at Siskiwit Falls.

Enjoyed dinner with my parents. We met up for a smelt fry.

I pressed spring flowers along the way.

It was a fun, full day up North. 

We purchased fresh smoked fish. Fresh from the waters of Lake Superior.

 

Siskiwit Falls 

 

Visiting Tetzner's Dairy

We came home with fresh ice cream!

We enjoyed a homemade ice cream sandwich.

I was picking spring flowers and pressing them as we traveled.

Thank you for coming along with me on our day date #17.

How do you like the added art work to this sign? I am finding a lot of additional touches to the signs on our adventures.

 

Crazy for Cabbage and it is the Hodgepodge

 

I am proud of my cabbage patch!

 

 

Happy Wednesday Friends,

It is time for the Hodgepodge.

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

 

 1. I live in the south so we're pretty much only talking about the weather right now. Give us a weather report from where you live. Does the kind of weather you're having today affect your mood in some way? 

 We have sunshine, I am very thankful for that. We are currently at 0 degrees, we have a mighty wind chill of NEGATIVE 10! It is 11:30 AM as I write this post on January 27th, sitting at my desk in my cozy office space in Northern Wisconsin. 

I am very thankful for the sunshine. Even if it is cold out, if the sun is shining big and bright it makes a difference for me. 

2.  Avocados, kale, cauliflower and cottage cheese have all had their time to shine. 2026 brings us the year of the cabbage. Is this a vegetable you like? If so, what are some of your favorite dishes that call for cabbage?   

 I love cabbage. 

I enjoy growing cabbage.

I will eat a raw cabbage salad with my homegrown cabbage. It is so sweet and crunchy.

We enjoy making fresh coleslaw.

Last year we made sauerkraut for the first time, it turned out delicious.

Yep, I will be growing cabbage again this garden season. 

 

 

3. Was a Cabbage Patch Doll a part of your childhood? Or maybe your children's childhood? What's a toy trend from your childhood you remember wanting for your own? 

I did receive a baby cabbage patch doll for Christmas from my grandparents. My grandma and mom made clothes for my baby cabbage patch doll.  I still have the doll and clothes.

Strawberry Shortcake and My Pretty Pony are two toy trends I remember. I have a few  Strawberry Shortcake dolls and My Pretty Pony.

 

 4. Something you've spent a lot of time doing lately? 

 

Organizing my seed bin. I went through the seeds I have left over from years past. I went through the seed that I saved from plants in our garden. I made a list of what I needed to order from my favorite seed company. 

 

 5. Somehow it's the last week of January...sum up your month in just three sentences. 

 

Winter walks along the river.

Enjoying new recipes, that warmed our tummy. 

Cozy evenings by the fireplace.  

 

 6. Insert your own random thought here. 

 I pick out two different plants each year to grow. This year I am going to grow a new pepper, Candy Cane. I have not tried growing pumpkins for several years. I picked a pie pumpkin, Small Sugar. 

The photo above has two of my different plants to grow for me from last year, baby's breath and bachelor buttons.  

 

Back to 2016 and Back to 2026 Hodgepodge

 

Hello Friends, it is Wednesday and that means it is time for the Hodgepodge. We are going back to 2016 for this weeks Hodgepodge. A memory for me in 2016, it was my first year as a flower vendor at the Bruce Farmers' Market. I had my first meeting in January of 2016 with the Bruce Farmers' Market team. They were a special group of people, very welcoming and helpful as I started my first year setting up my flower shop at the market.

 

Joyce asks the questions. 

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

 

 1. Ice skating, skiing, sledding, snowshoeing, playing in the snow, or a snowy walk...which winter activity do you choose? Have you done any of these activities so far this winter? 

We enjoy going skiing, snowshoeing and snowy walks.  

A snow walk, we have done several of those. We enjoyed this sunset last week as we walked along the river.  

 2. Everyone is posting pictures from ten years ago on their social media sites so let's jump on the bandwagon too. Share one photo and one thought to go with said photo from the year 2016. And maybe everyone isn't doing this, but many are and we're going to be part of the fun. 

As I mentioned above, 2016 was my first year as a vendor at the Bruce Farmers' Market. Here is my car all loaded with flowers and more to set up my flower shop at the market.  

My set up at the Farmer's Market.

 

 

 3. What's a trend you hope disappears in this new year? 

 I am out of the loop. I do not know of any trends. Hee Hee!

I am not active on social media sites, just my blog and reading my favorite blogs.  So I actually did not even know the posting of the 2016 photos was a thing until I signed up to do the Hodgepodge. 

 4. 'They' say there's a day for everything and January 21st proves it. National Granola Bar Day. Do you like granola bars? How about just regular granola? Do you like bars of other kinds? 

 I do like granola bars. I also like regular granola. 

My husband and I like Nature's Bakery Fig Bars.

 5.  A frozen lake, a trickling stream, a raging river, or a deep well...which one describes something about your life right now? Elaborate as much or as little as you like. 

A trickling stream... my husband and I are going to be starting up a project we set aside in November to celebrate the holidays. We got a start this past weekend. We are going to take it slow and steady. We are moving our office to a different part of our home, it requires a bit of reorganization that is the easy part. The hard part is it also requires some electrical work. 

 6. Insert your own random thought here. 

My husband designed two new racks for us. I love acorns, so he did an oak tree and acorns. We decided this is also a great key rack. And that brings me to ask you, where do you keep your keys? On a hook? On a table? 

I have been guilty of leaving the keys in my jacket pocket. And when our kids would go to use the car and the keys were not on the key rack, my husband would yell "Check mom's jacket pockets."  

  

Christmas Rewind 2025

 

 

A Christmas Rewind Post

  Irvine Park Christmas Village

Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin

One balmy December evening my husband and I, oh and the copper dog too, we ventured to Irvine Park Christmas Village.

It is so fun to walk. This evening was warm and so many families were out and about. It was great fun to sing along with the Christmas music playing along the displays and with the other people walking along too. 

 

 

 

There is an area that has rock formations. The water continues to drip and slowly freezes along the rock formations creating a unique display of natures beauty.

 

 

Me and the copper dog.

 

 

I always love how they decorate this area.

 

 

And now for a little Christmas rewind at my parents.

My sister helps my mom put up her Christmas Village each year.

This year we arrived two days before my sister and her husband.

If you look below, I played a little trick on my sister. She had the wolves in the woods. I moved them to the farmyard. And can you believe she noticed RIGHT AWAY!!

"Who was messing with my Christmas Village."

Yes, the family shenanigans began.  

 

 

My mom's new ornament for 2026.

 

 

 Season's Greetings

It is the little things in life that mean the most.

 ♥

Carla

 

Goodbye 2025 and it is the Hodgepodge

 

 

Goodbye 2025 and it is the Hodgepodge.

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

1. Did you make resolutions or set goals for the year we're waving goodbye? How did that work out for you? Will you set any goals for this new year, new season, or new month? Share one or two if you'd like to share.  

 

 I memorized some of my favorite Bible verses. I plan to continue to do that in the new year.

 

2. When did you have the most fun this year?  

 Anytime I spend time with my family. 

Even when helping our oldest son move to his first home, on one of the hottest days of 2025! Hot and sweaty lifting boxes, boxes and more boxes. 

 

 3. What's a song or song lyric you'll associate with 2025? Tell us why. 

It Is Well with My Soul

2025 was a challenging year for my husband and I. I did not share much of those challenges here on the blog, it was a year of "closed doors" several dreams had to be shifted and reevaluated.

 It Is Well with My Soul has always been a favorite. Life can be unpredictable and challenging, but faith and trust in God can help us to overcome hardship and tragedy.  

 

4. Best (or a favorite) bite of something delicious you tasted this year?  

Fresh fish and chips. The fish was fresh from the cold waters of Lake Superior. 

 

 

 5. What do you want to do more of in the new year? Less of? 

My husband and I did not have much time to travel this past year, we hope to do more of that in 2026. I hope we have less "closed doors" that caused stress in 2025.

 

  6. Insert your own random thought here. 

 

My New Year Prayer for you ...

God Bless This House

and all that is in it

a garden of flowers

some books for the hours

good health

and

love glorious love

  ♥

Carla

 

November Rewind

 

November Rewind 

 

 ♥ November sunsets

 

 

♥ the last of the garden harvest, kale and other greens

 

 

 

♥ ice forming on the lakes

 

 

♥ pumpkin scones

 

 

 

♥ sunsets on the river

 

and then the end of November is here and we had our first snow of the season

the last of the seed-heads have their winter caps on 

and we are starting to decorate for Christmas