Go for the Hodgepodge Gold

It's a Hodgepodge of Olympic proportions as we answer Joyce's thought-provoking questions, then link up to share the fun all over the wide, wide world.

1. The Summer Olympics begin next week and London is playing host. If you had the chance to go in person which (non-Olympic) London site would you most like to visit?
I would most definitely enlist the help of our gracious host, Joyce, to make the visit with me and, since she lived there, take me to all the best shops, restaurants, pubs, and most impressive London sites. When do we leave, Joyce? And I do hope you will include Buckingham Palace. I would like to see the Guard Mounting. And I learned there's even an app for that!


2. What is something in your life right now that feels like an Olympic event?
The wedding of our daughter in April was my most recent Olympic event. Since that most memorable day, I have been on a slightly less rigorous schedule, and have been enjoying summer weekends at the lake, and a little breather before the next big thing. And there's always a next big thing.

And just to show that we did, indeed, enjoy the day, and were still standing and smiling after all the planning and preparing, here's one more photo from the wedding. Mom and daughter. :)

3. What's your favorite supper to prepare and serve when it's too hot to cook?
Well, when it's too hot to cook, it's too hot to cook. Own night. That means you make your own. :)

4. July 18th is National Get Out of the Doghouse Day...when was the last time you were 'in the doghouse'?
It might have been when I dropped a whole gallon of milk in the garage and it splashed on my husband's freshly washed car. Good thing my husband is the forgiving type, who doesn't keep me in the doghouse for long. I'm not sure he even knows where the doghouse is. :) Thankfully, I have a real little dog who helped clean up the mess.

5. What television advertisement do you find particularly irritating or inappropriate? You may not answer with 'all of them'. I know some of you were thinking about it.
I honestly can't even think of one. I guess I must not pay attention to commercials any more. I am sure when I read the other answers, I will wonder why I didn't think of that! 
I will say, and I may not be popular for saying it, but I have never understood the dairy cow in the Chick-fil-A advertising. Why would a dairy cow be telling me to "eat mor chikin"? (And why can't the dairy cow spell?) We don't eat dairy cows anyway. At least I don't. :) I eat those tasty black ones. Angus, that is. Black gold. Yum-mee.

6. Share one piece of interesting news from the year you were born.
In searching for something 'interesting', I discovered that the original Ocean's 11 was filmed in 1960. I have not watched the 1960 version, but I may want to do that in honor of the year of my birth. 
Yes, that was a long, long time ago.

I am more familiar with the 2001 version of Ocean's Eleven. (Note the title changes the number from '11' to 'Eleven'). George Clooney as Danny Ocean. Yes, please.

7. What's the best part of your average day?

Any time I can do some reading. That's usually bedtime on an average day.
I'm currently reading Nora Ephron's I Feel Bad About My Neck. Entertaining and funny stuff from a brilliant author and screenwriter who left this life too soon.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
Granddaughter Haleigh is 2 1/2, and I found her in the back room working with the letters on the refrigerator.

No, she wasn't spelling words, but she was carefully sorting the letters and lining them up by color.

Reminds me of a little boy I once knew.

That would be her daddy, Andrew, who had a birthday earlier this month. In the midst of a big lake weekend, fireworks, and 100 degree temps, I failed to write a birthday post for him. So happy 28th birthday Andrew! A little late, but with big love from your mama. You'll always be my little boy.

Phone Photo Friday - Goodbye June

I had a few pictures trapped in my phone that I wanted to share, and I finally got around to putting them together for a Friday post. Some are from Mackinac, some from birthdays and other June events. Enjoy, and Happy Friday!

View from our room ~ Room a bloom ~ Big porch

Birthday boy ~ UMC AC ~ Boomie and the girls

Got milk? beer? ~ Grand Hotel pecan ball ~ Peace

David and Shy ~ Coco and Moda on the dock ~ Ella's first tractor ride

Fer in the flowers ~ Evan zzzzzzzz ~ Hat day

Ella eating ~ Matthew's night out ~ Hay doing work

Sweet 60

Good surprises are always fun, and a few weeks ago, we were able to surprise our friend Ruthann for her birthday. Sweet 60! Wow! 

Her boys and her niece had planned the party to take place as 

Ruthann and husband Daryl returned from a little vacation. 

We gathered at their house to wait for their arrival. 

Great niece Abby and cousin Grace spent some time in the pool while we waited.

Ruthann's son Grant entertained us with his mustache bottle top.

They're here! 

Surprise!

So much fun!

Greeting friends...

Hugs for the boys...

And a tent in her honor. 

Ruthann has always wanted a tent party. 

Check!

Sisters-in-law...

Sister Mary Ellen with Abby...

Giving thanks before the meal.

Queen for the day.

An ice cream cake from Ritter's. 

Oh. My. Goodness!!

Happy birthday, dear Ruthann...

happy birthday to you!

Niece Emily was the mastermind behind the party, I think, 

with some good help from the boys.

They even got Ruthann's favorite cups.

Old friends...

dear friends...

good friends... 

to help celebrate the day.

And you might say sweet little Abby partied 'til she dropped.

Hot Hot Hodgepodge

Hey to the Hodgepodge! It is Wednesday, and time to share a little Hodgepodge. Be sure to enjoy my answers, then click over to visit Joyce, our hostess. From there you can visit the rest of the bloggers who are Hodgepodging with us today. Enjoy!

1. How often do you check the weather? How do you check the weather?

I'm not a serious weather watcher. I am, however, married to a farmer, and farmers check the weather, watch the weather, talk about the weather, complain about the weather, or are thankful for the weather all the time. And I mean all. the. time. And you can't really blame them, now, can you? I'm more of the opinion that it's gonna do what it's gonna do no matter how much cussin' and discussin' we do about it. This summer, of course, the weather has been a hot topic around these parts. And I do mean HOT. The drought has caused serious stress on the crops and the farm families who depend on them. We are still praying for rain, and that some of the crops might still be saved.

As for how I check the weather, on my iPhone, of course. This was last week. I told you it was hot. :)

2. Since this is volume 84 of the Wednesday Hodgepodge, and since I got married in 1984, and since I'm attending a wedding this weekend it only seems right to post something related here.

"Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of the parties are ever so well known to each other or ever so similar beforehand, it does not advance their felicity in the least. They always continue to grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to have their share of vexation; and it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life."

Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

Agree or Disagree. Why?

Joyce does like to make us think, doesn't she?

I believe there are a couple of thoughts going on here. First, that happiness in marriage is a matter of chance. Disagree. 

For me, happiness in marriage is a matter of shared faith in God, love for one another, give and take, weathering the storms together, being thankful, remembering why you fell in love, forgiving, laughing, praying, and praying some more. A house is built with a blueprint. A map guides us on a journey. How could happiness in a marriage be left to chance? Happiness is a choice. Be happy.

Second is that we should be unaware of the defects of our spouse-to-be. 

Defects? Who said we have defects?  Surely not that lovely couple in the photo below. :) 

That was a hot July day almost 31 years ago. We haven't changed a bit. Still smiling, defects and all.

And while we are on the topic of marriage, we have been blessed to have our parents as an example to us in that department.

Jim's parents celebrated their 70th anniversary in March. That's right, 70th.

Here they are as newlyweds...

and at the wedding of Jennifer and Bryan in April.

My parents celebrated their 55th anniversary with the family trip to Mackinac in June.
Here they are on their wedding day...

and 55 years later in Mackinac last month.



 3. Do you like to dance? Have you ever taken dance lessons? 

Have I EVER! I started dance lessons when I was 4 years old, and continued at the same studio through high school when I taught dance one night a week after school.

This picture is from my first dance recital. 

Yes, as I have mentioned before, it required a bribe involving a Barbie doll for me to do my dance on stage (by myself, I might add). 

And yes again, I can still do that dance. :)

I took tap and jazz, and also took square dance lessons, which was also a tap class. 
This is one of my square dance classes posing on dress rehearsal day. I am second from the left.
My grandma made my skirt and petticoat. I could probably still find it at my mother's house.

 I do still like to dance. I may or may not have been seen doing the Electric Slide at our daughter's wedding.

4. Fresh from the oven peach pie or home made peach ice cream? Pick one.

Ice cream please! It is always my choice. I know a great cook who makes the best home made peach ice cream. When I asked her for the recipe it was, a little, well, vague. You know, the ones that say 'add sugar until it tastes right.'

5. Should people accept unfairness and learn to make the best of it?

When our children often occasionally lamented that something was not fair, our usual response was, "Life's not fair." I think it's best to learn to make the best of it.

In the wise words of John Wooden,

"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out."

6. The top five all time summer movie blockbusters (released between May and August and grossing at least 100 million dollars) are-Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars (the original), Ghostbusters, and ET. Which one's your favorite?

 I have to say E.T. How can you resist flying bicycles, Reese's Pieces, an adorable little Drew Barrymore, and a lovable alien?

7. If given the chance, would you like to visit the moon?

Nope, don't think so. Too hot, too cold, no beach.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

For today's random thought, I would like to poll the audience on a couple of items.

First, I am considering purchasing a laptop to replace my old desktop computer. Should I buy a Mac or a PC? I use my computer primarily for photos (lots), email, blogging, and internet. Advice?

Second, the book club I lead will be starting back up again in the fall after our summer break. It is a church group, made up of a small group of great women, mostly in their 80s. Historical fiction seems to be a favorite genre, but we enjoy and appreciate a wide variety of books. So, have you read any good books lately (or ever)? Suggestions?

Thanks for the help, and have a great Wednesday!

Checkmate

Today is the 125th birthday of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan. To celebrate the occasion, this week has been proclaimed 'Grand Hotel Week' in the entire state of Michigan. Tonight they will be serving a 125-foot birthday cake on the hotel's famous front porch.

We had fun on that porch when we visited last month for a celebration of our own, my parents' 55th wedding anniversary. I just had a few more photos from my phone that I wanted to share from our visit to that porch, and today is a good day to do it.

The porch is just so much fun. The rocking chairs, the geraniums, the beverages, and the history make it a great place to gather as guests at the Grand Hotel.

There is also a giant chess board at one end of the porch so you can challenge a fellow guest to a friendly match.

I believe when we were there 5 years ago to celebrate my parents' 50th, son Jonathan got schooled by a 7-year-old on this porch.

Haleigh and Ella aren't ready for a serious match yet, but they had fun with the chess pieces.

I am sure they will learn the proper moves in a chess game before too long. Matthew is already learning.

Of course, it's always good to be queen on the chess board.

For now, we've got two pretty pretty princesses.

A sweet pose with their daddy and mommy.

Happy Birthday to the Grand Hotel!