Saturday 9: Too Fat Polka

Too Fat Polka (1947)

Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

1) Have you ever danced the polka?

Please....I'm from southwestern Pennsylvania (just a little southeast of Pittsburgh).  Back in the day folks around here were born doing the polka.  Every wedding reception worth it's salt featured a band that could play polkas as well as Top 40. I "officially" learned to polka in junior high when it was taught as part of the dance unit in gym...right along with square dancing and disco. We're not quite as ethnic these days, but you still might hear a polka at a good reception and our local radio station still has a polka show on Saturdays.

2) The centerpiece of a traditional Polish polka band is the accordion. The accordion is a substantial instrument. Have you ever tried to play it?

I have.  One of our neighbors when I was a kid was the accordion player and lead singer in an all female polka group called "The Polka Powderpuffs."  She let me give it a go.  She is also the one who let my toddler son try out the drum set in her basement and informed us he "wasn't just beating on them," alerting us to a gift to be nurtured.

3) The plump lady of this song cannot fit into the singer's car. How many passengers does your car comfortably seat?

Five.  Two up front and three in the backseat.

4) Would you like to lose a few pounds?

I'd like to lose more than a few.

5) In the long ago 1940s, this song was considered amusing. Do you think it's still funny today?

I've been hearing this song my whole life and never thought of it as funny.  I'm not offended by it or anything, it's just not my style of humor.  I suppose there are probably some who'd find it funny.

6) Arthur Godfrey, who recorded this song, was a popular radio and TV host from the 1930s to the 1970s. Before this week's Saturday 9, had you ever heard of him?

I've heard of him, but I don't think I ever watched his program.

7) One of his more popular radio shows was Talent Scouts. A 1940s-50s version of American Idol, this show gave previously unknown singers their first national exposure. Godfrey could point with pride to having helped discover Tony Bennett and Patsy Cline, but he made a mistake by rejecting Elvis Presley. Tell us about something you'd do differently if you could get a "do over."

Sticking to a musical theme...I'd go see Ricky Nelson with my mom.  Ricky was the teen idol that made my mom's heart beat quicker so she was excited when she came to visit us for the holidays back in 1985 Orlando and discovered he was playing a free concert in the park downtown.  She really wanted to go, but the rest of us made all kinds of excuses and talked her out of it....the crowds would be awful, it would be a drunken mess, she could go see him in comfort some other time, etc.  He died in a plane crash that New Year's Eve.  I've never heard the end of it.  So, yeah, I'd go back and go to the dang concert.

8) In 1953, Godfrey made news by having one of the nation's very first hip replacements. Have you ever been/would you be part of a clinical trial, either for a new drug or a new medical procedure?

Nope.  My dad, however, had one of the very earliest skin grafts when he burned his foot in the steel mill.  Doctors came from all over to observe his progress and his case was well documented in medical journals of the time, I'm told.

9) RANDOM QUESTION: You and a friend are shopping. She tries on an expensive sweater and enthusiastically asks what you think. You think it looks awful. Do you tell her the truth?

If she's a close friend, then yes, I'd probably let her know (gently) that it wasn't particularly flattering for her.

Thanks, as always, to Sam for creating the Saturday 9 each week.  Stop by and visit her to join in the fun or to find links to the other bloggers participating.

A Beautiful Hodgepodge

Wow, I'm really late getting to the Wednesday Hodgepodge today, but this is the first moment I've had to relax all day.  Better late than never, I hope.  Please, be sure to pop over and visit Joyce @ From This Side of the Pond to join in the fun or just to read posts by other bloggers.

1. 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder'  What's something you've seen recently that you thought was beautiful?

Spring was really showing her face today and as I was driving the bus I was taking it all in and thinking to myself that Pennsylvania's Laurel Highlands really is a beautiful area (just don't ask me about that in January and February...my answer will be quite different).

2. Our culture and beauty...your thoughts?

I think we tend to put far too much emphasis on it.  In fact, I'd say we're obsessed with it...keeping it and getting it.  We'd be better served by putting that much emphasis on character.

3. Age before beauty, beauty queen, beauty mark, beauty sleep...which beauty-ful phrase resonates with you today? Why?

Beauty sleep, because I am always in need of more sleep and that has been especially true this week.

4. I read here a list of the top ten beasts animals that scare us the most-

alligators, coyotes, black bears, birds (but pigeons in particular), sharks, bats, bed bugs, rats, rattlesnakes, and the black widow spider. 

Which 'beast' on the list scares you the most? What is the liklihood of you having an actual encounter with that particular beast? Did a movie contribute to your fear of this creature? Have you ever had a real life encounter with any of the animals listed?

It's pretty much a tie for me between sharks and snakes of any kind.  My fear of sharks was born when I saw Jaws as a child.  The probability of me having an encounter with one is practically nonexistent since I do not go in the ocean past my ankles.  For me to have a shark encounter any boat I am on is going to have to sink.  I don't know where my fear of snakes comes from (the garden of Eden?) but it's much more likely that I will encounter a snake.  I live in the mountains of Pennsylvania.  We have snakes.  Including rattlesnakes and copperheads.  I have never once in my entire life seen a snake in this neighborhood which thrills me to no end, but I do leave my neighborhood and go to the many state and county parks where it wouldn't be unexpected to see a snake.  In fact, when I was a child, I found a rattlesnake on our front walk.

5. Where were you when you last heard a bell ring? Was it alarming or musical?

Alarming, I guess, since it was the dismissal bell at the high school this afternoon.

6. What's your favorite carb? How's that for random?

Chips of any kind...wonderful crunchy, salty carbs.

7. Let's wrap up another month of Hodgepodging and life with an acrostic. Recap your month using the word MARCH.

M - Muddy A - Auctions R - Rain C - Colton (grandson) H - Hurried

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I saw an allergist today as the next step the great quest to find out why once I get sick in the winter, I can never shake the cough.  To make a long story short, I'm not allergic to any of the common triggers.

Go figure, though, that he says I don't have allergies but with everything starting to bloom, the grass growing, and a nice breeze I had more than one episode of congestion, coughing, sneezing, tickly throat, or watery eyes.

The allergist suggested getting rid of our pellet stove (my thought was a humidifier might help) and seeing an eye/ear/nose/throat specialist and have my sinuses checked out, that maybe they are the problem.  Whatever.  I'm just glad I haven't had any more coughing since taking the Prednisone and antibiotics.

Meet Pappy & Nana

One of the things I promised this blog would have is memories of my grandparents, especially my grandmother, known to me as Nana.  I guess a good place to start is with an introduction so here, from a former blog, is a post I wrote about them for a 30-day blog challenge.

Of all the things that have come and gone in this life, what I miss the most are my grandparents, Pappy and Nana.

Wedding Day 1940

I've heard many stories about my grandparents over the years since they've been gone (Pap since 1985, Nana since 2005) and while they give me a picture of who they were outside of being my grandparents, precious few reflect the couple I knew.  In all the ways that mattered they were my parents for the first three years of my life, caring for me so my mother could finish college and even go off to do her student teaching.  I formed that precious mother-daughter bond with Nana, rather than my mother, not only because I was with her but also because Nana was a nurturer while my mother was and is, not.

Pappy was a character, a cross somewhere between Archie Bunker of All in the Family and Fred Sanford of Sanford & Son.  He was the youngest son of a doctor and a nurse.  He quit school in the 8th grade and went to work to help support the family after his father died from a blood clot caused by a sailing accident on the Atlantic Ocean.  

He and his family are the ones I get my warped and irreverent sense of humor from (I have a picture of my great-grandfather in blackface....yikes!).  He would introduce me to someone then ask, "Is this your third year in the fourth grade or fourth year in the third grade?"  When someone was being a real pain he might ask if their parents had had any children who lived.  He cut off part of his ring finger before I was born and after that it was a struggle to get a picture of him where he didn't put it to his nose so that it looked like he had half his finger up there.  

NOT my great-grandfather, by the way.

A carpenter by trade, Pappy worked magic with wood, at least until arthritis crippled his hands so badly that he was unable to hold tools.  The lovely four bedroom Cape Cod that was home for most of their marriage was built by him, room by room.  He would save the wood from any demolition work that he did and that is what the house was built with.  He did it literally one room at a time as he had time, materials, and money.  

Pap was a picker, as in "American Pickers," before anyone knew what a picker was.  His motto was "Never turn down anything someone gives you because even if it's junk or you don't want it, they just might give you something good the next time."  It served him well and he and Nana furnished their home with many lovely antiques and my mom, my aunts, and I all benefited as well.  He liked auctions and flea markets and wheeling and dealing and we all caught the bug from him.  When he died it took four days of auction to sell all that he had collected in his workshop, sawmill, and a third building (built entirely of salvaged barn wood) that was 30' x 100'.

Now, Nana was another story.  If the woman had a sense of humor I never saw it.  Pap used to tease her just to get her riled for sport.  That's not to say she wasn't a fun person.  She just didn't get jokes or play the kinds of tricks the rest of us thrived on.  

The seventh child of nine born and raised on a farm,  she was the undisputed queen of making do, repurposing, saving, or doing without.  She would make quilts and rag rugs out of just about anything...old clothes, old pantyhose, even plastic bread bags!  And my, oh my, could Nana cook.  There were only two people I ever heard my dad compliment on their cooking.  One was Nana and that was something because they did not particularly like each other.  The other was.....me!  I was mostly self-taught and then learned a lot from Nana when we lived with her early in our marriage.

Nana's greatest gift to me, however, was her time and her knowledge of the natural world.  I don't remember her ever once telling me that she was too busy to do something with me.  Any time we were together we spent most of our time outdoors.  It would begin in the early mornings with tea on the porch watching the sun rise over the swamp.  In cold weather we'd sip our tea at the dining room table and watch the birds at the feeder just outside the window. 

 

Afternoons were spent on the backyard swing under the towering branches of the Tulip Poplar or under the "shadynook",  a sort of pavilion nestled under a huge black walnut tree and surrounded on three sides by lilac bushes that almost gave the sense of being in an enclosed space.

Most days, warm weather or cold, we'd take a walk up "the old road", a dirt road that ran up past the house.  It was once a real road, but had long been abandoned except for access to a weekend log cabin that Pappy had built for a doctor.  My family acted as caretakers for years and always had a key as well as an open invitation to let ourselves in and enjoy the place.  Nana and I would spend hours there either on the swing overlooking the pond, on the screened porch rocking in the bentwood rockers, or playing (very badly) the old pump organ.  On those walks up and down the road Nana would teach me all she knew about each flower, tree, and animal we'd see.

In the summers we'd spend hours in the creek that ran through the property.  I'd build dams and catch crayfish and just generally see what I could find.  That creek was, and still is, the best place I know to find fossils.  It runs by the small country cemetery where Nana and Pappy are buried and to this day I don't go there without climbing down over the bank to the creek and finding at least one fossil.  For me, it's a better way to remember them than staring at a headstone.

Nana loved her flowers and house plants.  She had over 100 plants in the house!  African Violets were a particular favorite and filled glass shelves in many of her windows. Outside in the yard she was forever adding new flowers that she had seen and thought were pretty.  Someone was always giving her a "cutting" or we'd be out along a back road somewhere digging up something growing beside the road.  My mom laughs because life has come full circle and it's not all that unusual to find me asking someone for a cutting or to see me digging up a flower along the road.  I don't have 100 houseplants, though....I have a hard enough time remembering to water the 7 or 8 I have.

We moved a lot when I was growing up and I never got too attached to any of the houses we lived in, but Pappy and Nana's house was the constant for me.  It was always home.  The day we put Nana in a nursing home and made the decision to sell her house was one of the hardest, but harder still was going through all the things collected over a lifetime and deciding what to keep among us and what would go at the auction.  I still hate to go by and see the changes now.  I know it's just a place and Pappy and Nana and our family are long gone, but all the happiest memories of my childhood are tied to that house and my grandparents.  They meant everything to me and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't wish I could talk to them.

The Weekend My "Date" Passed Out

Happy Monday! (Gosh, but Monday looks better after a 3-day weekend.)  It's been raining off and on here this morning, but the friendly and perky weather girl on the news this morning assured me it will have moved on by this afternoon.  Still, it's not too shabby out there.  The sun peeks out every once in a while and it's around 60 degrees with a high near 70 predicted for this afternoon.

It was a nice weekend.  Friday was gorgeous, but I stuck around home doing some of the chores that needed doing and just hanging out and chillax-in'.  I did babysit my grandson for a while in the evening so his mommy could go out with friends.

On Saturday I went to a charity auction with my mom.  Our favorite auctioneer was running it for a local youth network.  I spent less than $20 for some small things...a crystal cracker jar that looks something like this...

a Razor scooter for the grandkids, a ratty old suitcase to put a fairy garden in this summer, a radio that looked like an old timey one (turned out not to work, but for $1 I took a chance), a box of Christmas ornaments, a box of stuffed animals for the puppies, one of those padded baby seat things that goes on the shopping cart seat....

and a vintage game for me (I loved it as a kid in the 70s).

I babysat our grandson again Saturday night.  He's an easy date...one bottle and he's out!

and 

5

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4

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3

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2

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out!

Sunday was another at home day, doing the laundry and just hanging out with my hubby.  He isn't feeling well at all again.  He did finally have the sonogram done on his kidneys and he'll be getting blood work done this week, but he doesn't see our primary care physician until April 6.  I wish someone would soon figure out what's wrong.  He has felt this bad for a few years now.  No one should have to live like this if they don't have to.  It used to be that he threw himself into work and just didn't have anything left when he got home, but he's admitted recently that he has days at work when it takes everything he has just to do the minimum. (I will say, though, that his minimum tends to be very different from the minimum of other project superintendents. He jumps right in and works hands-on on all of his jobs.  He doesn't know how to be hands-off and he doesn't want to be.  He'll never just stand there and "boss" everything.

We did venture out to the garden center to have a look around since we'd been discussing our plans for the backyard all morning.  There wasn't much there in the way of plants yet, but I picked up a new pothos plant, a very splashy mostly white one and my hubby bought me three little ducks for the fairy garden and a pretty colored crystal hummingbird that I will hang out on the porch when the weather gets nicer.

Oh, and we got ice cream.  We don't usually go to Dairy Queen, but none of the local ice cream stands are open yet, so that was our only choice. Oh.my.sweet.goodness.  Did you know that they sell warm fried dough with ice cream and your choice of hot fudge, caramel, or strawberry topping?  It was sooooo good.  It smelled and tasted like summer!  I might just be making a few more trips to Dairy Queen this year.

That's pretty much it.  Make up your mind to have a wonderful week!

Sunday Stealing: The Kathy Aay Questions

Welcome to this week's edition of Sunday Stealing.  Here's Bud's explanation of where the questions came from:

We found this gem from my wife Kathy. She has a popular YouTube show (click here to see it) about make-up for women over 40 (She's got over 8,000 subscribers). They get tagged for questions occasionally and when we watched this video we asked for the questions to save us heavy lifting. 

Cheers to all us thieves!


Sunday Stealing: The Kathy Aay Questions

1. What is the meaning of your blog’s name?

I chose My Cup Is Full for the name of this blog because I'm at a point in life where I'm more content and comfortable in my own skin than I've ever been. Life is, more often than not, good. Really good.

2. Why did you start your blogging?

In general, I began blogging back in 2001 (boy was it different then!) as a way to keep in touch, communicate, and share ideas with other youth leaders, pastors, and the youth group I helped lead.

I've had many blogs over the years, each very different from the one before it. They all reflected where I was in life.

3. What’s your usual bedtime?

During the week I go to bed between 9:00 and 10:00...usually closer to 10:00...because I get up at 3:45 every morning.  If I was smart I'd go to bed a lot closer to 9:00 because tired has become a way of life.  On the weekends all bets are off and I turn into a bit of a night owl.

4. Are you lazy?

About some things, I guess.  I tend to try to avoid the chores I don't like...folding laundry, for example.  I'll admit I'm a procrastinator, too, and a lot of people view that as laziness.

5. Do you miss anyone right now?

Right at this moment, no.  In general, yes, I miss many people who have left this life behind.

6. How would you describe your fashion sense?

Casual, classic.  Basically, I am all about being comfortable.

7. What are your nicknames?

Ace, Space, Donut Hole, and Xena.

8. Are you a patient person?

Not really.  It's something I'm trying to improve on.

9. Are you tight-fisted or frivolous?

It depends.  If it's something I like and want I'm probably pretty frivolous. If it's someone else's want, I'm a lot tighter.  Don't get me wrong, I am generous in my gift giving and charities...I'm just talking about (for example) when my husband wants to buy a big tractor with all kinds of attachments and my desire to add a room to the house.  Tractor = stupid idea, room addition = a smart idea that is totally necessary.

10. What magazines do you read?

Country Sampler, Dr. Oz's Good Life, O, Small Room Decorating, Flea Market Style, Flea Market Decor, Vintage Style, Vintage Garden Style, Cooking Light, Tast of Home.....I'm kind of a magazine junkie.  Always have been.

11. Are you stubborn?

About certain things and with certain people.

12. When is your birthday?

August 15.

13. What book are you currently reading?

I'm working on Lee Strobel's The Case for a Creator.  It's very interesting and based on asking highly respected scientists about things that are accepted and taught as evolutionary fact.  If I was not a believer, and there was a time when I was not, the facts presented would change my mind about intelligent design.

14. What phone do you have?

A Samsung Note 5.  It's the one BEFORE the exploding batteries.  I love it.

15. Do you have any pets?

Two dogs, who are the Mutt and Jeff of dogs.  Elvis is a sweet, chubby Beagle/Basset mix with a very laid back attitude about life.  Daisy is a high-strung, ever-yapping, little diva of a Toy Poodle.

16. Do you have siblings?

Nope.

17. Any children or grandchildren?

Two children, a son and a daughter.  Three grandchildren, a girl and two boys.

18. What do you order at Starbucks?

Hot chocolate.  I don't like coffee.

19. What did you do for your last birthday?

Nothing.

20. What’s your occupation?

I drive a school bus.  It's not what my education was in and I don't love it, but it worked when my kids were young and I wanted to be home and available when they needed me.  I've stayed with it, I suppose, because there's a lot to be said for never having to work nights, weekends, or holidays and having the whole summer off.

21. Do you live in the country or the city?

I guess you'd call it the suburbs, but it's a lot more citified than it was when I was growing up here.

Saturday 9: The Heat of the Moment (1982)

Saturday 9: The Heat of the Moment (1982)
 
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) What's something you did or said "in the heat of the moment?"  

I don't know, right off hand, but I'm sure I've said plenty of things in the heat of the moment. Sometimes it's hard to remember keep your mouth closed until you cool off a bit.

2) Asia's founder and bass player, John Wetton, passed away in January. One of his bandmates remembered him as a reliable performer who made everyone around him look better. Do you enjoy being the center of attention? Or would you, like Mr. Wetton, prefer to play a supporting role? 

I think I'm somewhere in the middle on that.  Most of the time I don't want to be the center of attention, but it is nice to get attention and recognition for things you're good at.

3) Asia is a British band who played their first US concert at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York. The nearest major city -- Ottawa, Canada -- is a 90-minute drive from Pottsdam. When you were last in the car for an hour or more? Where were you going?

In the car?  I guess that would have been back at Christmas.  My husband and I drove to Ohio to eat at a restaurant.  I think that was actually about 2 hours.

4) The song refers to disco hot spots, which apparently, by 1982, no one wanted to go to anymore. Let's make that negative into a positive.Describe your perfect night out with friends. Where would you go?

With my friends?  Just out for dinner somewhere with great food and maybe we'd have a drink or two.  The location is secondary to the company.  We have a great time together and amazing conversations.

 
5) In 1982, the year this song was popular, someone laced bottles of Tylenol with cyanide. That's why we now have tamper-proof caps on many products. Have you used anything in a tamper-proof bottle yet today? 

Yep, I've already had my daily round of medications and vitamins.

6) In 1982, Time Magazine's Person of the Year wasn't a person at all, it was "the computer." What do you use your computer for most often?

Blogging, Facebook, games.  I don't have anything going on right now that requires much use of the Office program I pay for each month.  And since I've mentioned it....I miss when computers came with Office installed and stuff got stored on the computer.  This cloud business really irks me.

7) 1982 also saw the premiere of The Weather Channel. Where do you learn the day's weather forecast? (Watching the local news on TV, checking your phone, looking out the window ...)

I watch the local news in the morning, but I also have The Weather Channel app on my phone.  Half the time looking out the window would be just as accurate as the pros.

8) In 1982, Arnold Schwarzenegger's movie, Conan the Barbarian, was a hit in theaters. When you settle down to watch a movie, is it usually a fantasy, like Conan? Or do you prefer another genre (action, comedy, adventure, romance, drama, classic ...)

I tend to like rom-coms and adventures.  Put both together (Romancing the Stone, Sahara) and I'm in movie heaven.

  
9) Random question: What is something you try to avoid?

Confrontation.  I have a tendency to let people get away with a lot and quietly seethe on the inside because I just can't bring myself to confront them on their bad behavior.  I have noticed, though, that the older I get the less likely I am to suffer fools in silence.

Have a great Saturday and enjoy this warm weather!  I am off to a charity auction with my Mom today.

Join in the Saturday 9 fun here.

When You Think It's Friday, But It's Thankful Thursday

Hello!  It's time for some thankfulness on this beautiful first Thursday of Spring. I'm running late (as usual...I'm only kidding myself when I think it's a one-time thing), but I don't want to skip my list.  This is my favorite part of the blogging week.  It forces me to take time to take a look back and see the things that blessed me and be grateful for them.  It's such a blessing.  I hope it blesses you, too.

You can find more lists or join in the fun by popping over to visit Rebecca Jo @ Knit By God's Hand.

This week I am thankful...

* that my pulmonary function test is over and done with.  I did that today between runs.  It really wasn't so bad and they are going to send it to my primary care physician and the pulmonary doctor I'm to see...just as soon as I reschedule the appointment I missed in February.  That way he won't have to schedule me for another one.  Yea!  I am all for less medical appointments.

* for winning $10 on a $3 scratch-off ticket.  It's not much, but it's so much better than losing.

* that I got to see lots and lots of Colton this week.  He's getting so big.  Three months old, almost 15 pounds and he's jumped up to size 3-6 months.  His little cheeks are so chubby.  I think he's going to be a big boy!

* for how nice it got today.  It was only supposed to be about 45 degrees this afternoon, but the sun has been shining ALL day and at 6:00 the thermometer outside my kitchen window says it's 53 degrees.  It's in the shade, though, so I think it's warmer.  I had to shed my jacket and I have the kitchen window open and the ceiling fan on!  We're expecting temperatures in the 60s and 70s for at least a week.  It might rain a good bit of the time, but that's okay.  I'm just thrilled with the warm up.

* that.....

Okay.....it's not Friday for real, but it's my last work day of the week (got to love those in-service days for teachers) so it's MY Friday.  I don't have any big plans on tap and after all the running around I did this week I'm pretty happy about that.

* that I got to go to bible study on Tuesday.  It's only the second time since Christmas.  I have missed it and my brothers and sisters so much.  I need that time to recharge my battery and get my head on straight.

This week we celebrated the 12th birthday of one woman's daughter with all kinds of goodies.  I also did sort of a little "thing" for her.  God gave me some inspiration on my way home from work Tuesday so I stopped and bought her a shiny plastic tiara with big pink stones.  When I put it on her head I told her that I was giving it to her because every little girl should be a princess on her birthday, but she was to put it somewhere that she could see it every day so it would remind her that:

1. She is a real princess.  A daughter of the Most High King and an heir to the kingdom of God.
2. Because she is a princess, she has a calling from God to live a life appropriate for a princess...one that pleases her heavenly Father.

I talked about some other stuff, too.  Like how when she looked around the table she saw her mom, her aunt, her "adopted" grandma, and all the rest of us, but that besides that we are all princesses, too, and thereby her sisters.  I told her that right now she's our baby sister and it's our job to watch out for her, teach her, pray for her and pray with her so she becomes the princess she was called to be.  There was more but this is getting ridiculously long.

I'll just say that everyone was bawling and to wrap it up we gathered around her and prayed for her and also for us as her big sisters.  It was way cool.

* for a hubby who is willing to try my cooking experiments.  Tonight I'm trying a recipe I saw on Facebook.  My hubby's not a big fan of meatless meals, but he's actually looking forward to this one.

Caprese Stuffed Garlic Butter Portobellos.
Recipe here.

* for each one of you!

That's it for this week's list.  There is much, much, more to be thankful for, but we'd be here forever and those mushrooms aren't going to make themselves. Have a blessed weekend, my friends!

Springing the Hodgepodge

Click the button to visit our host blog.

Welcome to the first Wednesday Hodgepodge of spring!  I don't know about your neck of the woods, but it's COLD here today...back in the 30s and the temperatures are to be in the mid-teens tonight.  Brrrr!  That doesn't sound much like spring.  However, we are to see a warm up with temperatures in the 60s from Friday through next week and maybe even the 70s on Sunday.  It's suppose to come with rain nearly every day, but I'll take it!

Please be sure to click the pretty button up at the top of the post to visit the host blog From This This Side of the Pond, and check out all the other Hodgepodgers.

1. Setting aside the real March Madness (NCAA Basketball) describe something happening at your house this month that might earn the title 'March Madness'?

We (which means, me) have begun actively preparing for our daughter's September wedding. I did nothing but make phone calls during my every free moment this past Monday.  If I have learned anything it is that it pays to call every listing in the phone book for every service and rental you need.  The drastic differences in price make it something you can't afford not to do.  Just one example would be the tent and dance floor rental.  At one place it's $1850 for a 40'x40' tent and another $950 for a 16'x16' dance floor.  At another place it's $760 for a 40'x60' tent and only $695 for a 20'x20' dance floor.  All the other places had every price in between.

I have also learned a great deal about porta-potties this week.  My stepfather, whose farm the wedding is being held on, has well water.  I can't turn 100 wedding guests loose on his bathroom.

2. What's a favorite made up word from your childhood or a favorite from your children's childhood? Does your family still use the word today? If there's a story behind the origin please share.

I can't think of any made up words, though I am sure right after I publish I'll think of at least four.  All I can think of is the name a neighbor gave my daughter when she was small....Megalooch.  Her name is Megan, so Mega + Looch.  We still call her Looch at times.

3. Will you be doing any spring cleaning now that the season is upon us? I read here a list of 15 quick (under one hour) spring cleaning tasks. They were-

clean out a drawer, vacuum furniture, whiten tile grout, dust the nooks and crannies you don't get to year round, degrease kitchen cabinets, wipe down walls, go behind furniture, wipe down ceiling fans, vacuum the mattress, clean the range hood, wash baseboards, shine the stainless steel, clean out vents, tackle the windows, and wipe down gadgets

Of the fifteen 'quick' tasks listed which two most need doing at your house? Will you do them?

I do need to do a few of those, with wiping down the walls and cleaning out the vents being the most needed.  I have this Friday off so maybe I'll actually get started on that.

4. A favorite movie set in Paris or New York?

I'm really not a city kind of girl.  I can't think of a single movie I like except Home Alone 2 that is set in New York and I've got nothing at all for Paris.

5. What's put a spring in your step this month?

Finally being completely over the cough that wouldn't die has put a LOT of spring in my step.  I don't think I realized how worn out and down I was from nearly 3 months of coughing.

6. Did you ever want to be a teacher? Why or why not?

No, never.  Being cooped up in a room full of kids is not my thing. I was drawn to more creative or solitary fields like writing or architecture.  Other fields that interested me were more physical and outdoorsy, like a park ranger or zoo biologist.

7.  What's your favorite floral scent? Do you have this somewhere in your home or maybe in a perfume? How do you feel about florals in food? How about wines with floral notes-yay or nay?

I'm actually not terribly fond of floral scents...they tend to overpower my sinuses and give me a headache.  I usually choose fruity scents.  I don't know if I've ever had florals in food.  I can't think of any.  In wines?  NAY!  I've tried a few and to me they taste just like the flower smells.  Yuck.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

This is the first time I've had time to post since the weekend.  It's been busy. We went out Sunday and did a major shopping trip....lots of meats and veggies. (We're trying to be good.)  Our daughter call just as we were getting started and asked if we could come over and watch the baby for just a bit so she could get some cleaning done.  So, after shopping and taking it all home and putting it away, we headed to her place for some time with our grandson.

By the time we got home it was time for supper and then showers and early to bed.  

Monday I lost most of my time between runs because one kid missed the tech bus and I had to drive all the way back to Tech (about 1/4 mile from my house), pick him up and then take him back to the high school before I could take my bus to the garage and come home.  Our daughter and grandson came over in the evening.

Yesterday, I ran errands and last night I had bible study to go to.  Plus, our teacher made a good imitation of Panera Bread's creamy pumpkin/squash soup. We also had pepperoni rolls, watermelon pie, chicken nuggets, and a birthday cake for one woman's daughter.  I was there till after 9:00 so when I got home I just fell into bed.

I'm looking forward to a quiet evening at home in my pj's tonight.

That's it for this week.  Have a blessed week, everyone!

Sunday Stealing: TV Show Questions

We found this gem off a blogger called Christina from Call Me Patsy She states that she lifted the meme that "she's seen everyone doing". Not us however, until today. It was probably stolen by the author of that blog, as well. But that is as far as we go. Tracing back our theft's thieves might take some time.

Cheers to all us thieves!


Sunday Stealing: The TV Shows Questions

1. Name a TV show series in which you have seen every episode at least twice:  There are a few...The Big Bang Theory, The Brady Bunch, and it has to be awfully close on M*A*S*H and Seinfeld.

2. Name a show you can't miss:  There really aren't any since I can just pull them up in On Demand if there is something going on that causes me to miss.

3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to watch a show: Robert Downey, Jr.

4. Name an actor who would make you less likely to watch a show: Sean Penn

5. Name a show you can, and do, quote from: The Big Bang Theory.

6. Name a show you like that no one else enjoys:  Mountain Monsters and Alaskan Bush People.  They are so stupid, they're hilarious.

7. Name a TV show which you've been known to sing the theme song: Pretty much every show from the 70s...Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, All in the Family, The Brady Bunch, Gilligan's Island, The Beverly Hillbillies, etc.

8. Name a show you would recommend everyone to watch:  Hawaii Five-O...beautiful scenery, cute guys, sweet cars, good music, and decent story lines.

9. Name a TV series you own:  The Big Bang Theory, The Andy Griffith Show, The Carol Burnett Show, and The X-Files.

10. Name an actor who launched his/her entertainment career in another medium, but has surprised you with his/her acting chops in television:  Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Spacey.

11. What is your favorite episode of your favorite series?  I have two favorite episodes of The Big Bang Theory.  I like the one where Sheldon is trying to learn how to drive and Howard "borrows" an military training simulator and reprograms it for driving.  I also like the one where Sheldon is stuck on a problem and doesn't sleep for several days and gets goofier as time goes on. It's classic slapstick when he breaks into a ball pit in the middle of the night and Leonard has to dive in and try to get him out.

12. Name a show you keep meaning to watch, but you just haven't gotten around to yet: This Is Us.  Everybody blows up Facebook every time it's on, but I haven't seen it yet.

13. Ever quit watching a show because it was so bad?  Two and a Half Men. When it started out it was cutting edge funny, but it just got pathetic after a while and if it was possible, it got even worse after Charlie Sheen left.

14. Name a show that's made you cry multiple times:  Can't think of one.

15. What do you eat when you watch TV?  Maybe supper or on the weekend some popcorn.

16. How often do you watch TV?  I don't watch a lot of TV, maybe a show or two a night during the week.  More on the weekend.

17. What's the last TV show you watched?  A rerun of Seinfeld last night.

18. What's your favorite/preferred genre of TV?  I still love sitcoms, but I like cop shows and the really dumb "reality" shows.

19. What was the first TV show you were obsessed with?  The first one I can remember being excited about was The Dean Martin Show when I was really little.  I loved how he came into the room a different way every time.

20. What TV show do you wish you never watched?  Some of the weirder episodes of The X-Files fall into that category.  Like the one where the mutant brothers keep their armless, legless mamma under the bed and kill people, eat them and then regurgitate them to feed her.  They also bred with her.  Yeah, I wish I could unsee that one.

21. What's the weirdest show you enjoyed?  Mountain Monsters wins that hands down.  It's about a bunch of hillbillies from West Virginia running around in the woods with loaded guns trying to catch Big Foot in traps straight out of a Roadrunner cartoon.

22. What TV show scared you the most?  The X-Files.

23. What is the funniest TV show you have ever watched?  Saturday Night Live back in the 70s with the original cast.  It was pure comic genius interspersed with the best music of the day.

Saturday 9: Alone Again (Naturally)

Saturday 9: Alone Again, Naturally (1971)

Not familiar with this week's song? Hear it here.

1. Friday was St. Patrick's Day, March 17th! Did you celebrate with green beer or a green milkshake? 

No, I didn't.  I'm not a big fan of either.  I did wear green and my family celebrates our Irish heritage every year by gathering for a dinner of corned beef, potatoes, and cabbage. YUM!

2. Did you remember to wear green?

Oops...answered that one ahead of time.  I did.  I even wore an Irish Princess tiara.  The reason for that is that the K-4 and kindergarten girls on my bus have been wearing tiaras and playing "princess" since they came back from Christmas break.  They always make me the wicked queen.  So, yesterday I wore my tiara and told them I was being the princess.  They weren't having it.  I was still the queen...though they did leave the "wicked" off.  LOL  They crack me up.

3.  What color do you look best in? 

My husband and I disagree on this.  He likes me in pink (ick!) and I like to wear black, brown, green, orangish-gold.

4. This week's featured artist, Gilbert O'Sullivan, was born in Waterford, Ireland. Waterford is famous for Waterford Crystal. Do you have glassware that you save for special occasions?

When we were first married there was a company that used to come to your home and demonstrate cookware, china, flatware, and crystal (Hey, it was the 80s!).  I really, REALLY wanted a set of china they had that was a gorgeous autumn pattern, but one, my parents had gifted us with service for 12 when we got married and two, I couldn't even begin to afford it.  So, in typical 80s fashion, I got 12 champagne flutes instead.  I was able to finance them and make payments because they cost $65 per flute!  My husband and I use them once in a great while, but most everyone else is afraid to use them.

5. This week's featured song includes the line, "To think that only yesterday I was cheerful, bright and gay." How were you feeling yesterday?

Happy and content with life.  It was Friday, it was St. Patrick's Day, and I got to spend a lot of time with my daughter and grandson.  I hadn't seen him since Sunday and it seemed like he'd grown so much!  He has his first cold, but he's still a pretty contented baby.

6. It begins with reference to a wedding that didn't quite come off because the bride left the groom at the altar. When were you most recently at church? Was it for a holiday service, a regularly scheduled service, a special event (a wedding or baptism)?

It's been a while.  I don't attend a traditional church since the split at the last one.  I am not a fan of church politics and the other garbage that we flawed humans bring to church.  I have been attending a home fellowship (we meet in someone's home).  We meet once a week (or more) and are modeled after the first-century church.  We have a teacher, but it's not really preaching and we can ask questions and talk about stuff.  We have some amazing discussions.  The Thursday before Easter we will get together and prepare an entire middle eastern meal.  We'll eat it that night, have communion, and a teaching on Christ.  We often have a lot of guests for this event.

7. In 1971, when this song was popular, Malibu Barbie was a big seller for Mattel. This doll had a perpetual tan. For a human to achieve this, a tanning bed or self tanner is usually required. Have you used either method to give yourself a tan?

I tried self-tanning back in the 70s when they hadn't quite ironed the kinks out and it tended to leave you orange and streaky.  I haven't tried it since.  I've never bothered with a tanning bed since the reality is my fair, freckled skin does not tan.  It just gets more freckles and burns.

8. In March, 1971, James Taylor appeared on the cover of TIME magazine. What's your favorite James Taylor song?

9. Random Question: What word or phrase do you hear yourself saying too often?

It's got to be something along the lines of "Stop it!  Sit down.  Stay in your seat."  I sometimes wish there was a recording on the bus and I could just push a button to have it repeated over and over because I get tired of repeating it so often.  (Kids today just do not listen to authority very well and it seems to get worse as time goes on.)

That's it for now.  Enjoy, and please, pop over to the SATURDAY 9 blog and join in the fun.  I will catch up with you all later.  For now I am off to have a mammogram done.  Fun, fun.