Havin' Fun With the Hodgepodge

It's Wednesday again, and after a week off for a Hodgepodge 'spring break', Joyce is back with another interesting set of questions for us. It's always fun to think up our answers and then get together to see what everyone else has to say. Just click on the button below to see what fun we have over at the Hodgepodge.

Let the fun begin!
1. Share one fun thing you did last week, while the Hodgepodge was on 'spring break'.
I had a 'regular' week, Book Club on Monday, where I get to be with my awesome 'senior' ladies, MOPS on Tuesday, where I get to teach the preschool Moppets and hang out with the cool young moms, and Wednesday morning with the granddaughters (plus a grand-niece this week). Fun stuff.

Also fun, on Thursday, I attempted to make a pouf ottoman for my daughter (for the new baby's room). I used an old pouf for my pattern, and my plan was to recover it. I decided instead, that it was easier to just fill the new one rather than try to stuff the old one into it. I had ordered a bag of 'beans' to use for the stuffing. Have you ever tried to stuff a pouf with foam beads?

It's a little tricky. I posted these photos on Facebook, so you might have already seen them. 
Beans. Were. Everywhere.

In the end, I was successful, and the beans were on the inside, where they belong. Whew!

2.  April 10th is National Sibling Day...do you have siblings, and if so are you close? Share a favorite story featuring one or all of your siblings. If you don't have siblings, did you ever wish you did?

Well, it seems like there is a day for everything. Yes, I have siblings, two younger brothers. We are close, and are blessed to live close enough to see each other fairly often. I know I can count on them if ever I need a hand, and I think they know they can expect the same from me.

Don't you love my mom's hair in this picture?

As the first born, and only girl, I was pretty much a perfect child. I was cooperative and well-behaved, and liked to always be the do my best. I felt it was my obligation to boss around be an example to my brothers. :)

The photo below, taken on a vacation in Florida, pretty much illustrates our personalities. (Great shoes for the beach, boys.) Lol.

This photo was taken as a surprise for my parents' 20th anniversary. The year was 1977.

3. Is it important to you to 'buy American'? Why or why not? How much of an effort do you make to 'buy American'? If you're not American, insert your own country in the blank. 
There are lots of good reasons to buy American. I try to do so, if given the choice. 

4. Besides The Bible, what book has impacted your spirituality in some way?
Most recently, One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp. Such beautiful words. A guide to giving thanks to God for every gift, every day. 
"Eucharisteo always precedes the miracle." -Ann Voskamp

5. April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes.  Do you find rainy days calming or depressing?  When were you last caught in a rainstorm? What's blooming in your neck of the woods today?

I love rainy days if I'm inside, with nowhere to go, and nothing to do but a nap. I don't enjoy rain when it interferes with outdoor plans or I have errands to run in the midst of a downpour.

The last time I remember being caught in a downpour was last fall at the Purdue homecoming game. It was WET!

As for what's blooming in our neck of the woods? These are blooming in our yard,

and I found this beautiful tree across from the post office in town.

6. What's your favorite yellow food?
Banana cream pie, of course.

7. April is National Poetry Month...what's a poem that holds special meaning for you, and why is it special?

Little Orphant Annie, by James Whitcomb Riley. My mom and my grandma used to recite it to me by heart.

Little Orphant Annie's come to our house to stay,
An' wash the cups an' saucers up, an' brush the crumbs away,
An' shoo the chickens off the porch, an' dust the hearth, an' sweep,
An' make the fire, an' bake the bread, an' earn her board-an'-keep;
An' all us other childern, when the supper-things is done,
We set around the kitchen fire an' has the mostest fun
A-list'nin' to the witch-tales 'at Annie tells about,
An' the Gobble-uns 'at gits you
Ef you
Don't
Watch
Out!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
I have Siri on my iPhone, and while I find her helpful when I want to make a call, or hear or send a text while driving, I sometimes find her a bit frustrating when she doesn't understand what I'm asking.

It can be fun to give her commands now and then, like "Tell me a joke" or "Sing me a song." If you are persistent in asking for a song, she will eventually come up with this:

One of my favorites, and very appropriate for a smart little electronic voice that lives in my phone.