Monthly Musings ~ February 2025

 Good Thursday morning to you all.  Is it just me, or did February feel really long for the shortest month of the year?  I always enjoy the first week because it is my daughter's birthday!  I feel like that was 6 months ago now.   On to this month's musings.....

1. What is your love language?

At this point, can I say all of them? I would take any of them at this point of my life.

words of affirmation, quality time, physical touch, receiving gifts, and acts of service

2. Favorite love songs?

My first thought is honestly the song "First Love" by Hannah Nall.  It sings about our first love being with our heavenly father.  

3. Flowers, chocolate or something else?

I would vote flowers or something else.

4. Favorite romantic/romcom movie?

I mentioned this movie on the blog a few weeks ago, but my favorite is "Sweet Home Alabama" with "The Proposal" being a close second.

5. Favorite childhood Valentine's memory?

I am going back to when my daughters were little.  We would always decorate for every holiday and Valentine's Day was a fun day to decorate with hearts & candy.  This year I sent my girls a card in the mail and then a Venmo.  I have learned they would rather have that than me send them random stuff in the mail!

6. How did you celebrate Valentine's Day?

I spent it with my sister and great nieces and nephews!

7. Any love or romantic traditions?

It is a fun to time to give a gift post the holidays.

8. When do you feel most loved?

See above for how I celebrated Valentine's Day!

Other than time with those little people, when I receive texts from daughters saying " I love you".  It never gets old. 

9. Big night out or chill at home?

I would vote to chill at home, but wouldn't be opposed to going out since that is something I haven't done in the past.

10.  Do you wear red/pink on Valentine's Day?

I have in the past, but my sweater that has LOVE on it is actually green and black and I love that it isn't traditonal colors.

Thanks for reading today and hope you enjoy your day!

Hodgepodge ~ February 26, 2025

 Happy Hodgepodge Day!

1. February 26th is National Tell A Fairy Tale Day...have you read a fairy tale lately? What's your favorite fairy tale? Do you believe in 'happily ever after'? 

I haven't read any fairy tales lately. I can choose joy in this life here on earth and my happily ever after will be eternity in Heaven with Jesus.

2. Complete one of the following sentences with a thought relating to your life currently-I answered all 3!

Once upon a time I was a homeschool mom, spending each day with my girls, cooking dinner for my family each night and loved spending time as a family. I still love spending time as a family although my family looks different now.  

•          A long time ago I was a young teenager who dreamed about being on broadway one day and living in NYC.  I never made it to broadway on stage, but still love visiting NYC and going to see plays there and locally.  I also love listening to broadway music.
•      In a place far far away I have a bright future, even with unseen hardships.  I am going to be okay.  And hopefully this is not so far away.

3. Which of the following 'fairy tale foods' is your favorite? Which have you made/eaten most recently? 

porridge/oatmeal (Goldilocks and The Three Bears), an apple (Snow White), a gingerbread cookie (The Gingerbread Man), pumpkin soup/pie/bread (Cinderella), peas (The Princess and the Pea), beans (Jack and The Beanstalk) or a cup of tea (Alice in Wonderland) 

I eat an apple and have a cup of tea at least 5 out of 7 days each week.  

4. What's your idea of fun? 

I love a dinner night with friends, that includes laughter.  I love being with my great nieces and nephews and playing with them.  I love listening to music, especially live music.  I love laughing at reels! I love going to sporting events. I love traveling, especially seeing new places.  I love, love being with my daughters most of all.  

5. Next week's Hodgepodge lands in March. Is that right? I guess so.  Give us one noun, one verb, and one adjective that tell us something about your February. To make you think a little harder, you cannot use the words cold or snowy. 

noun - Chattanooga

verb - work

adjective - exhausting

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I am doing touch up paint projects this week.  Maybe I will have pictures by Friday to share.  So many projects going on here lately!  

Please keep praying for some movement and mountains to be moved here.

Thankful for you all & have a great day!

Hello Monday ~ February 24, 2025

Happy Monday friends!  

My weekend was pretty low key.  I worked Friday morning and then I went to visit my parents.  My mom isn't doing great with her health so I went to check on them and took them food.  

Friday night, Jenn came over and we had dinner together at my house.  We laughed a lot and it felt a little like being teenagers. It was fun!

I was pretty lazy Saturday morning.  Early afternoon, I went to a new gym I have joined.  I am trying to get motivated to go at least twice a week.  My goal would be 3x, but I have to start with small, realistic goals!

Saturday night, there was a conference at my church, that included dinner.  It was nice to have somewhere to go and see friends.  I went back Sunday morning for the rest of the conference.  Here I am Sunday morning.  

After coming home, I ate leftovers, put on comfy clothes and started on my project of the day.  I spent the afternoon sorting through photo boxes of pictures.  I was able to condense it from 3 to 2 boxes.  I accumulated one garbage sack of pictures and random papers by the end of the day.  Every little bit of cleaning out helps!  While I was doing this, I watched several episodes of Hart of Dixie on Amazon Prime.  Did you ever watch this show?  It is one of my favorite series that I can watch over and over.  

Let me know how your weekend was!  Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by to read!

I am so thankful for your prayers.

 

Friday Favorites ~ February 21, 2025

 Happy Friday to you!  I hope you have had a good week and here is an update of a few favorites from the week.  

Monday

I went to the gym, which was a first visit for me.  After using some of the machines, I used their hydromassage bed.  I cranked that up to 10 for pressure and enjoyed 10 minutes of relaxation.

I could even watch peaceful beach scenes!

Meanwhile, 150 bags of leaves had been raked from my front and back yard and stacked on the street.  I am thankful for help to do this.

Tuesday 

I worked a half day due to other obligations that morning. By 3:30, I was in comfy clothes and spent my evening talking on the phone, watching tv and I cooked myself breakfast for dinner.

Wednesday

I woke up to several inches of snow! It is sure pretty, but honestly thankful it will be short lived. I made 2 loaves of sourdough, soup and cottage cheese brownies. I got a notification from my ring camera in the middle of the night because of the snow falling!

Snow covered bags of leaves :)

the neighborhood lake

Recipe for the cottage cheese brownies:

 Preheat oven to 350

Grease an 8x8 pan

Mix the following in a large bowl with a hand mixer:

1 cup cottage cheese

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup of sugar substitue

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. baking powder

Fold in chocolate chips, if you would like and pour into prepared pan.  Bake for about 30 minutes until done.

I made this salad for dinner Wednesday night.  It was lettuce mix, tomatoes, avocado, grilled chicken and ginger dressing.

Thursday

Yesterday was a rough day for me at work.  It made for a long day, with a few tears.  I served dinner at the hospital and it was great to have Jenn join me again. After some exhaustion, I had a good conversation with a friend and it was a great way to end the day.

Friday

Here is hoping it is a good weekend! 

I hope you have one as well!

Hodgepodge ~ February 19, 2025

 Happy Wednesday!  Thanks to all who said a prayer for me yesterday.  I am still in the midst of some legal battles, but one day at a time.  Maybe 2026 will be my fresh start year?  Meanwhile, onto Hodgepodge!

1. Many of our earliest presidents created words or expressions widely used today. Teddy Roosevelt is credited with mollycoddle, pack rat, frazzle, and loose cannon...which of those words/phrases currently relates to your life in some way? 

I would say pack rat since I am currently going through so many areas of my house to clean out things.  I am getting better at getting rid of things, but some days I feel like a pack rat.  It is hard for me to get rid of my kids childhood things.  That and pictures are probably the hardest things for me to sort.

2. Have you visited many (or any) of the US Presidents homes, monuments, libraries or related sites? If so what's been your favorite? Are there any you particularly want to see? Here's a link to presidential sites listed by state which is kind of fun to read-Presidential Places by State. And since several bloggers who participate in the HP each week live outside the US, here's a link to Presidential Places Outside the US. Have you seen any of those? 

The Hermitage - Nashville, TN

Mount Vernon & Monticello - Virginia

the memorials & monuments located in Washington, DC

3. February 20th is National Cherry Pie Day...will you celebrate? Given your choice of cherry pie, cherry cobbler, cheesecake with a cherry topping, or black forest cake which would you choose? 

I am not a huge cherry fan, so I would choose just a cheesecake.  If I were to choose a topping for cheesecake, it would be strawberry. I guess I won't be celebrating this week!

4. Last time you worked a puzzle of some kind? Something that had you puzzled recently? 

I worked a few Christmas puzzles and currently have one in progress, but haven't touched it in a few weeks.  Also, how are groceries seemingly getting more expensive? And housing, the prices of housing is so puzzling to me how expensive apartments and houses are these days. 

A few things that have have me puzzled...how I ended up at this stage of life, but I am accepting it and moving forward day by day.  

5. Of the early blooming flowers (January-early March depending on your zone) which one's your favorite? 

snowdrops, lenten roses, pansies, violets, snapdragons, reticulated iris, crocus, winter jasmine

All of these are so pretty.  I think the pansies seem to be the most hardy in this area.  I have a few daffodils that bloomed during some warmer weather last week, but now we have freezing temperatures this week.

Do you have any of these in your own yard/garden? 

I don't yet, but hope to plant some in a pot this spring.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

My song for the week to share is called "Don't Lose Hope".  This is a song my daughter shared with me a few weeks ago and it is now on my favorite playlist.  

I wish that I could change the weather

Just to see your smiling face

You know I'm with you come whatever

We're gonna see the brighter days

Don't lose hope when the world is against you

Every high, every low, I am for you

Don't let go when you're at the end of your rope

I'll hold you, darlin', don't lose hope

I'll stay here with you 'til the morning breaks

Until the light moves past the dark

I'm gonna see you through this heartache

You're stronger than you think you are

Don't lose hope when the world is against you

Every high, every low, I am for you

Don't let go when you're at the end of your rope

I'll hold you, darlin', don't lose hope

We can make it out alive

Oh, you know that I believe it, 

Even after the darkest night

Oh, the sun will shine and you'll feel it

Oh, don't lose hope, no, don't lose hope

Don't lose hope when the world is against you

Every high and every low, I am for you

Don't let go when you're at the end of your rope

I'll hold you, darlin', don't lose hope

Hello Monday ~ February 17, 2025

 Happy Monday!  Does it seem like February has been a little long?  I feel like once the first 2 months are behind us, the rest of the year seems to go by faster. Here is a little recap of the weekend.

I worked Friday morning and then watched the Hallmark movie, 

An Unexpected Valentine.  It was a cute movie.  The other recent Hallmark movies this year I have recorded haven't really kept my interest for the whole movie.  

After the movie, I ran a few errands, including a stsop by John Mark's store.

I spent the night at my sister's and hung out with these cuties!  

Bedtime snuggles

A great way to go to sleep...being with these little ones.  

Saturday morning, these little girls put on a routine dancing to "5 Little Monkeys" :)

Saturday was a milestone for me so it brought some emotions, a lot of strength and encouragement going forward.  It was a super rainy day.  On such a day, of course I got some frozen yogurt as a treat!

I went to get a massage and then afterwards, got a frosted lemonade from Chick-fil-A. 

Sunday was church, where I kept the nursery, so it was a time of hanging out with friends. I spent the afternoon at home being fairly lazy.  Jennifer and I went to dinner at a mediterranean restaurant and we had a fun visit and catching up from the week.  

 I have a lot of big things coming up once again this week and can use a prayer for tomorrow. Thank you friends. 

Friday Favorites ~ February 14, 2025

 Happy Friday!  I am sharing some updates from the week.  It was a busy, long week for me.

I served breakfast at the local hospital and it is always a fun morning.  It was decorated for Valentine's Day!

I finished up my strength training workouts this week.  I am going to try to continue this, but will do so at a different gym.  It was great to have a personal trainer for the month to teach me some correct movements.

I picked out a plant and a gift card and delivered this to a family my daughter babysits for because they just had a new baby.

I was able to get a lot of work done this week!

My in-laws were in town this week so I met them for dinner last night. I am thankful for the time I had with them.

Other highlights were a quick trip to Oxford to see a friend, yogurt with a co-worker, and lunch with a lday who mentors both of my girls. I have been tired this week and hope to have a little more time at home this weekend and next week.

I hope you all feel loved and have a great weekend!

Hodgepodge ~ Feburary 12, 2025

 It's Wednesday Hodgepodge time with Joyce!

1. Did you watch the Super Bowl? Did your team win? What's your favorite game day snack for whatever sport is happening? 

I did watch and I was so excited to see the Eagles win!

My favorites would be appetizer foods....a mix of hearty foods (meatballs, sausage balls, other protein), fruits/veggies and chips and dips.

2. What's your 'superpower'? 

My most recent superpower in the last few years is P.I. work, trying to find out information on people.

3. Will you do anything special on Valentine's Day? If so do share. Any thoughts on/about this particular holiday? Share a favorite verse or quote relating to love. 

I plan on sepnding the night with my sister and all of her grandchildren....my greats! 

4. Are you a fan of the rom-com genre? If so what's one of your favorites? If you're not a movie go-er then what about a book you love that features a great love story? How about a favorite love song? 

I am a fan and definitley one of my favorite movies is "Sweet Home Alabama".

5. Let's get creative...write an acrostic using the word L-O-V-E. 

L - loyal, listener

O - optimisitic

V - values others

E - ethical, emotionally healthy

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Do yourself a favor and go listen to the song 

"First Love" by Hannah Nall.

  It is a beautiful I listen to every day and will be my theme song on this Valentine weekend. The lyrics are below:

Although I am changing, you're unchangeable oh God.

You will be my first love, be my first love.

And for all the changes that you lead me through oh God

You will be my first love, be my first love.

Every morning when the sun comes up and every evening when the day is done 

You will be my first love, be my first love.

Even when you fill my hearts desires, even when you are consuming fire

You will be my first love, be my first love.

Although I am shaken, you're unshakeable oh God.

You will be my first love, be my first love.

Let my idols crumble.  Your unshakeable oh God. 

You will be my first love, be my first love.

Let every day and every way I live bring glory to you Lord.

May every day and every way I bring glory to you Lord.

Be my first love.

Hello Monday ~ February 10, 2025

Good Morning!  I am happy to have a semi-normal week ahead of me, or so I hope! Last week was full of travel and lots of work. 

I worked almost double time last week as what I normally work due to my travels and an event.  Friday night, Jennifer went with me to buy 60 bags of salad to complete the food provided for my work event Saturday.  We did this after eating Mexican food once again!

Saturday morning, I worked until noon, delivered some food to my family and a friend and ran some errands.  I babysat for a friend of mine Saturday night.  She was so thoughtful and bought me these flowers for an early Valentine's Day!

Sunday, I went to church, met a friend for tea/coffee and then went to Jennifer's house for dinner.  I met a new friend there who is just a tad taller than I am :)

Here are my takes from the Super Bowl:

I enjoyed more of the commercials this year than recently.  

The half-time show felt like one really long song.  

I am so happy the Philadelphia Eagles won!!

I hope you have a great Monday and thanks for reading!