Wednesday Hodge Podge

1. The summer Olympics begin next week and London is playing host. If you had the chance to go in person what (non-Olympic) London site would you most like to visit?

I'd love to see the West End and Soho.  I love the arts and the shopping.  I'd also absolutely adore to visit the London Street Markets!!

2. What is something in your life right now that feels like an Olympic event?

Getting out of bed!! I seem to be having a difficult time getting over my extended hospital stay and truly worried about something else being wrong.  But other than that....I'm doing great!

3. What's your favorite supper to prepare and serve when it's too hot to cook?

A marinated veggie tray with some cold cuts and a salad.  It just seems to hit the spot.  Sometimes I will add whatever fresh fruit is in season.  Like right now, the peaches and the grapes are sublime!

4. July 18th is National Get Out of the Doghouse Day...when was the last time you were 'in the doghouse?'

Welllllll....... right after I got out of the hospital....(after being told I couldn't smoke anymore).... I was sharing a cigarette with one of my best friends...and dad caught me.  I'm almost 43 years old and I got "busted" for smoking a cigarette.  He was definitely NOT a happy camper.  He even "peached" on me on Facebook! 

5. What television commercial do you find particularly irritating or inappropriate? You may not answer with 'all of them'. I know some of you were thinking about it. 

Those "Enzyte" commercials with "smiling Bob" and his "appreciative wife".  How an herbal supplement can enlarge a man's penis and make his wife "extremely happy" and the neighbors jealous is beyond me.  Wikipedia states that the founder and his grandmother were convicted on criminal charges and they went bankrupt after collecting some $400 million dollars from the gullible consumers. Be very careful if you decide to try a "miracle drug" from t.v.

6. Share one interesting piece of news from the year you were born.

May 15, 1969 – An American teenager known as 'Robert R.' dies in St. Louis, Missouri, of a baffling medical condition. In 1984 it will be identified as the first confirmed case of HIV/AIDS in North America.   July 4 – Michael Mageau and Darlene Ferrin are shot at Blue Rock Springs in California. They are the second (known) victims of the Zodiac Killer. Mageau survives the attack while Ferrin was pronounced dead-on-arrival at Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Richmond. 1969 was a year full of the "WOW" type of news.

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

The best part of my average day is enjoying a favorite cup of coffee and some fresh zucchini bread.  Folks have been giving me zucchini after zucchini from their gardens in exchange for me making them my special zucchini bread.  *the recipe calls for 3C of zucchini, but I substitute 2C of it with 1C of shredded apple and 1C of shredded carrots.*

 8. Insert your own random thought here.

Until you've lived my life and had my experiences, don't judge me.  There are reasons why I do what I do and I am who I am.

Another great book!

She started the story, that evening, as she always did.  Her children listened, wondering if she would finish it this time.  It starts out with the young girl falling in love with a prince and it continues until they secretly meet under the bridge in St. Petersburg Square, amidst the snow and the starry night sky.  They watched in fear, a black carriage pulling up to the young girl's building across the square, as the Black Knight and his minions drag her father out of the building and throw him angrily into the back of the carriage and drive off.  The prince tells the young woman to go home and be with her family and leaves her under the bridge, shivering from fear and the cold.  That's where the story ends...each time she tells it.  Her children beg for more but she rebuffs them angrily and walks upstairs to her bedroom, leaving them increasingly curious, disappointed, and resigned. 

This is a story that starts out in St. Petersburg, Russia and spans the decades to culminate in a story of death, separation, and loss in the war-torn world that Lenin created when he stormed St. Petersburg, and how love, hope and determination can outlast the tyranny of war.


Winter Garden by Kirsten Hannah

Follow Friday Four Fill in from Feeling Beachy and Five Question Friday from FiveCrookedHalos

This week’s statements:

1. My day always starts by ____
2. I prefer ___ to ____
3. I never thought I’d __________ until I __________
4. I wish I could ________ for ________________.


My answers:

1.  My day always starts by starting the coffee pot and feeding my feline owner, Bella. 

2.  I prefer Autumns in Michigan to any other season in any other state.  It's the only time and place that seems to just reach down into my soul and grabs a hold.  The smells, the air, the leaves, the apples and cider donuts, and the diminishing of mosquitoes  are the end all be all of creation!


3.  I never thought I'd be living in Missouri until it finally dawned on me that after 15 years, it looks like I'm staying for a minute or two.


4.  I wish I could influence the political decision makers for the benefit of all of mankind.  Voting is great and I'll be there with bells on in August and in November, eventhough I'm still upset that the one I voted for last time switched platforms AFTER he got elected....there should be a recall allowed when they switch sides...if not, a good fish-slapping with a halibut right across the noggin would be appropriate.  Might not change their minds and such, but it would sure make me feel better!
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1. What's your view on men wearing sandals (yay or nay)?


Ideally?  Nay.  I prefer the dockers with no socks at all. But I can understand that mens' feet sweat as well as ladies' feet and for comfort's sake...sandals or flip flops might help alleviate their discomfort. But only if they do NOT wear socks with either.../shudder...that's sickening. I'm just sayin.......

 2. What song do you love but are embarrassed to admit?


I really don't have one...because I love Disney songs...my grandchildren and I sing at the top of our lungs when they come on...same with Veggietales and Christmas songs!  I like most all music (except for Opera) and not ashamed of any of it... It's part of who I am and I'm very proud of it...(I even love celtic bagpipes and Irish tapdancing)

3. What summer camp should they make for moms? 

They should make a summer camp for mom's that teaches them that no one is perfect, kids do NOT come with an instruction manual, wearing sweatpants and t-shirts to drop your kids off at school is perfectly fashionable, and teaches them how to have fun with little to no money.  They should have a few weeks of re-conditioning to remind them that YES, they are still women who are important, special, and have a job that would make most men cringe with fear...(child-raising).  Then, as an added bonus, teach them time-saving techniques and organizing skills that would shame Martha Stewart.


4. What is the most romantic song? (Not necessarily your favorite or your wedding song...)

The most romantic song that I can think of is "Everything I Do, I Do it for You" sung by Bryan Adams, Sting, and Rod Stewart

5. Do you have an embarrassing pregnancy story?


Absolutely.  With my first daughter, I gained quite a bit of weight...73lbs to be exact...didn't help that I had toxemia and she was an 8lb 2oz baby, but as you can imagine...lotta weight = bigger than normal boobs.  In about my 8th month, I was sitting in church one Sunday morning and she was right under my rib cage when she decided to start doing somersaults and jumping jacks.  My stomach was rolling and bumping like I was at a Run DMC concert...fairly uncomfortable...then she decided to start kicking upwards....so every 2-3 min or so, ONE boob would get kicked almost up to my chin....and she wasn't prejudiced....she kicked both of them...just not at the same time.  Needless to say, the song leader of our church at the time apparently noticed and could not for the life of him stop giggling.  I was sure glad when it was time to go home.

I'M BACK!!

I am back after a hiatus that lasted entirely too long!  I have truly missed everyone of you and I hope to reacquaint myself with the blogging world!  I've missed too many opportunities to share life with everyone!  Yippee!!!

Kelly: Missing in Action!

Just a quick note to let everyone know, I haven't disappeared...just dealing with a couple of health issues right now!  I will be blogging again in no time! Hope to see you soon!  Love and hugs! Kelly