Wednesday Hodgepodge

Joining Joyce @From This Side Of The Pond TODAY!

1. April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes. Are you blooming where you're planted as we begin the month of May?

Spring is slowly among it's way here.....trees are bare but close to popping! We have had rain followed by more rain...the hopes for the sun shining is days away. 
2. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being no big deal, and 10 being full scale panic, rank your fear of spiders.


I'm a 5 ! I can kill them but afterwards usually get the willies! Also depends how big they are! 

3. May is National Salad Month (who knew???)...besides lettuce, what are two must-have ingredients in your favorite salad?

Tomatoes and peppers....or black olives. 
4. I mentioned on my blog last week that my Daughter1 will be moving to Washington State after she is married. Of the following sites in the Northwest, which would you most like to see in person-Crater Lake (Oregon), Seattle (Washington), Vancouver (British Columbia), San Juan Islands (Washington),  Mt. Rainer (Washington) Oregon Coast (Oregon), Mt. St. Helens (Washington), or Olympic National Park (Washington)


Of all those I haven't been to Vancouver and Crater Lake so either would be nice. My favorite is the San Juan Islands.....she will love visiting those, even for just the day! 

5. This coming weekend marks the 140th running of the Kentucky Derby...when did you last race (literally or figuratively) to cross a finish line?

It's been so long I can even think....unemployment gives you a lot of time to get things done.
6. What is something little you love?


I love red hots.

7. Would you say you are more of a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner? Elaborate.


Kinesthetic for me I can watch and listen but actually doing physically is the way I learn. 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

18 days until Katelyn is home for the summer.....I can't wait! It's going to be a quick and busy summer for her. It's the last one she can work until after she graduates. From spring semester on she will start her grad program and go year round with little breaks. She really  needs to work day and night cause the girl can spend! If she is reading this she surely is rolling her eyes at me! 


Happy Wednesday! 

❤ Sophie

Love this girl and her messy face.

She looks like this everyday....

Clueless for hours whats on the end of her nose!

Sophie cute as can be...

Happy Monday! 

Sundays in my city-Eternal Flame Falls

 Joining Unknown Mami this Sunday for

Sundays in My City

Last Sunday we hiked to Eternal Flame Falls in Chestnut Ridge, Orchard Park. It's about 25 minutes from our home and a 1.5 mile hike down a creek bed. It was a beautiful day for a hike....temperature wise but it was a muddy mess and slippery. I'm not much of a hiker...I wish I was! Our first group of people we past, I said we almost there?....They said not even close.....I have to say I was ready to be almost there. I passed an 70 plus year old Grandma on her way up so I thought, if she can do it so can I! But in my mind I thought how in the world did she do this...it wasn't a hard hike in altitude just steep at times and slippery, plus you cross the creek several times jumping from rock to rock, tree branch to tree branch.

See the flame to Katelyn's right. I guess methane gas escapes this shale creek reservoir .

It was a pretty sight...kinda stinky like rotten eggs and really crowded....not Disneyland crowded but too crowded for a hike!

Sophie loved it

She was a mess

She barely moved for two days after hike

I was a little sore too

I'm pretty sure that grandma was too! 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Joining Joyce @ From This Side Of The Pond

1. April 22nd is Earth Day. Are you inspired by nature? In what way?


Yes nature amazes me....I'm in awe of it's difference and beauty.

2. Down to earth, four corners of the earth, move heaven and earth, not have an earthly chance, or salt of the earth...which earthly idiom have you most recently encountered? Explain.


Probably down to earth...I try to surround myself with people more like that.

3. Share one piece of advice you might give a newly engaged couple.


Communicate communicate communicate never stop!

4. When did you last engage someone to perform a job, task, service, home repair, or improvement? On a scale of 1-10 (ten being the best) how would you rate their work and/or your satisfaction with the job or service provided?


My hubby always has a honey do list going he loves to fix things....always a 10!

5. When did you last find yourself engaged in small talk? Are you awkward or an expert or somewhere in between?


Last night with our neighbor....I think I'm pretty good but sorry I struggle with people in WNY are bad at small talk it's awkward and almost non existent! 

6.  What was the last historic place you visited?


Haven't been anywhere in so long I can't think.....probably Niagara Falls! 

7. The world would be a better place if we just__________________________.


Treat others the way we would like to be treated! It's just that easy! 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Please keep your fingers crossed for me today...I have a second interview of a job I would really love to get. Thanks! 

Happy Wednesday! 

Be happy and lose the expectations......

Do yourself a favor and be happy....

It's just that easy....

I want to say whats on my mind....

Lose the expectations...

Life is too short to be disappointed because of expectations...

Especially when you yourself 

do not do what your expecting others to do...

JUST BE...

Happy Happy Easter

Vintage Easter

This is from 1970

Easter egg hunt in Lynwood Washington

Not sure which is worse

the hats

the coats

or both

I imagine in 1970 that was the look!

New Jersey Easter egg hunt 1974

I think I was too scared to get close to bunny 

But my sister in red hat was front and center..

again love the mustard color coat

 I think I'm rocking some serious bell bottoms!

Katelyn age 4 in Sandy Utah 

notice the snow in background...

and the fact she is squeezing the life out of the bunny! 

Katelyn age 6

Katelyn and a few of her cousins

Love looking at old photos.....most of mine are glued down in scrapbooks or in books fading away...
Some day I hope to scan and everything! At least the most important ones before I had my first digital camera.

Happy Saturday!  

Today

Today the sun is shinning but it's bitter cold

only in the mid 30's

We decided to bundle up and take a walk 

Behind our house is a Llama farm 

and across the street from Llamas is a goat farm...

They are the noisy neighbors

Not the humans but the goats! 

Couldn't resist a couple selfies with the Llama or two! 

They were pretty interested in Sophie

or maybe they were admiring her cheetah sweater 

Hard to believe it's Spring 

Yesterday we had snow 

and today I wore my down parka and gloves

It's April 16th Mother Nature...

ENOUGH!

I hope your TODAY was just as fun! 

Look who's hanging out this week!

She is home on an extended Easter Break...

 She goes to a Catholic College

so they are off all the holy days

and her Wednesday classes were cancelled 

and her Tuesday class well 

I guess according to Katelyn they aren't doing anything in right now

 plus she is getting an A sooooooo

She is home!!

And her Mom and Dad are just happy to see her

 it's been a long eight or so weeks!

I have my instructions

making all her favorites 

of course there will be some shopping

I'm gonna be busy doting....

It's a job I'll happily do! 

Happy National Sibling Day!

This is my family

Four sisters.....

Love them all dearly

Can't believe it's been since July 2011 since we've all been together

Happy Siblings Day

xoxo

Happy Wednesday!

Joining Joyce @From This Side Of The Pond today

1. April showers bring May flowers, or so the saying goes. When did you last 'shower' attention on someone or have attention 'showered' on you? Did you love it, or did all that attention make you squirm?

My husband is pretty good at showering attention on me all the time. Some times I love it and other times....I'm like give me some space! lol! Katelyn is coming home for Easter break and I plan on showering her with lots of mom attention. She will hate and love it. 

2. Share a favorite 'spring break' memory. Not talking about just the 'college spring break' thing, but any favorite spring break memory you'd like to share. Keep it family friendly please!

I loved our Spring Break Katelyn's junior year of HS when we did all the college tours. We did the marathon from Buffalo to Pittsburgh across the state of Pennsylvania ending in Philly and then spent the weekend in DC. It was a whirl wind. I just remember thinking how can she be thinking of college we just signed her up for kindergarten yesterday.....it went so fast....now she is just registered for junior year of college! 

3. It's National Pecan Month...are you a fan? If so, what's your favorite dish that calls for pecans?

Yes I love a small slice of pecan pie but my favorite meal is making pecan crusted Salmon....I probably make it every other week

4.  'Put all your eggs in one basket', 'egg on your face', 'rotten egg', 'walk on eggshells', or 'a good egg'...which egg-spression could most recently be applied to your own life?

As of lately I'd say eggs in one basket...especially being on the job hunt. I seem to go on one interview and it's hard to keep the momentum going because I want to see what happens with the one interview....it's such a process. 

5.  In my experience___________________________________.

Karma doesn't exist

6. What's a  favorite song with the word rain in its title or lyrics?

Two songs with the word rain in it remind me of my younger days

First is Eurythmics-Here comes the rain

And Prince Purple Rain

7. What does the word hope mean to you?

Hope is not a word I try to use a lot. I live with a science guy and that word doesn't hold any weight to him. I think hope has let me down but I still hold out hope for certain uncertainties! 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I have been trying to lose a few lbs.....been working out 6-7 days a week. Trying to make better food choices but this time of year is tough because I believe in supporting the Girl Scouts so theres that ! Then I'm I big supporter of Easter candy....I love Peeps and Cadbury Mini Eggs! But with that said I'm really proud that I have kicked my jelly bean habit so theres that! Needless to say come April 21st.....It's gonna be a new day!

Happy Wednesday!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Joining Joyce @ From This Side Of The Pond

1. Since these questions are posting on the first day of April it seems only right to ask-when was the last time you did something foolish? If you can't answer that one, try this one-when was the last time someone fooled you?

About two weeks ago when I accepted a job that wasn't exactly what was presented to me and after three days I'm on the job hunt again!! A smarter wiser and a little bruised but it is what it is....

2. What's the last biography or non-fiction book you've read? Was it any good?

I don't typically gravitate towards biographies so looking at my book shelf I have Rob Lowe Stories I only tell my friends....I seem to remember liking that. Must have or I would have donated to my local library. I also have several Frank McCourt book which I loved. 

3. Garlic-friend or foe? What's your favorite dish made with garlic?

As long as both hubby and I are having garlic then yes bring it on. It's when only one of us has....yikes! I like garlic in my spaghetti sauce...any sauces I make I put a dash! 

4. Several Spring flower festivals happen in the US during the month of April. Of those listed, which would you most like to see in person...The Skagit Tulip Festival in Skagit Washington, The Dogwood Arts Festival in Knoxville Tennessee, The North Carolina Azalea Festival in Wilmington North Carolina or the Daffodil Festival Weekend on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts?

Daffodil Festival sounds nice.....I've been to Kuekenhof garden in Holland, it's amazing and the Azaleas in the Rhododendron Park in Bremen had the most amazing Azaleas......I'd love to visit any really! 

     

5. How do you choose which blogs to read?  What is something that will make you stop and read every time? Something that makes you say, 'eh, think I'll skip this one and move on to the next'?

I don't like really long ones...I like ones with photography.....how do I choose....can't remember how I did in the beginning. Expat, deco, recipes.....I like a variety!  

6. April is National Mathematics Education Month so tell us, when did you last use math? 

Deciding which bag of Pecans to buy...ounces vs. cost etc....I stood down aisle for a while so it must have been some serious math! lol! 

7. In honor of the A-Z challenge kicking off on April 1...choose one word beginning with the letter A to describe your yesterday.

An eyeopener .....in my job hunt.....I really check the reviews of places I'm applying to...I just can't be apart of some place that has bad reviews and lacks customer service. Also there are a lot of scams out there!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Either my hands have gotten bigger or these Girl Scout cookies have gotten smaller! 
Just saying! 

Hello April

Happy April Fool's Day....

I'm not really a fan of pranks being pulled on me....

My hubby knows this.....

Katelyn usually was the victim of his pranks....

I'm watching my back today! 

I added a new addition to my Hand Painted eggs from Austria

I'm all decorated for Easter 

Now if Mother Nature could melt the snow

and 

green up this place!

Maybe a flower or two pop up...

all would be good!

I was so happy to turn the calendar to a new month

In two weeks Katelyn is home for Easter break....

I know winter wouldn't be here forever but it certainly felt like it! 

Happy April!