Goodby February, Hello Nachos

Goodby February, Hello Nachos

Kind of Hodgepodge!

Joyce Asks the Questions

We Answer the Questions

join the fun here

1. America celebrates turning 250 years old this year. Primary cities set to lead the celebrations on July 4th are Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and Washington D.C. Other significant locations for celebrating will be Charleston SC and the 'historic triangle' which includes Jamestown-Willimasburg-Yorktown Virginia. 

I have been Blessed to visit a few of these historic cities..  Washington D.C. especially makes you pause and remember the sacrifices that built this country.

Of the cities listed how many have you seen in person? Of the cities listed which would you most like to visit this year? Any plans to do so? What's one place in America you think everyone should see? If you're not American what's one place in the US you'd like to see? 

I have visited Philadelphia, New York and Washington D.C.   

No plans to visit these places this year.   

The Grand Canyon is a place that I think everyone should see.  So massive and pictures do not do it justice. It is a place that reminds you how small we are and how big God is. 

2. Three sounds you love to hear? 

My grandchildren laughing with those kind of belly laughs that fills the whole room. 

Rain...I love the sound of a small gentle rain!

A river!! ...LOVE, love, love the sound of water moving over the rocks.  

3. Three sounds you hate to hear? 

People chomping Ice or smacking gum!

Crickets in the house!  

Coyotes.  Their howl is so terrifying.

4. February 24th is/was National Tortilla Chip Day. Are you a fan? With salsa, guacamole, queso, or just plain please? Do you like nachos? With what on top? Is there anything (besides nachos) you make that calls for tortilla chips? 

I am most definitely a fan of tortilla chips.  I am fairly simple when it comes to my nachos...bean and cheese only, with sour cream, jalapenos, and guacamole.  NO meat for me please.  

I make taco soup and usually serve this with the scoops chips.  

5. We March into March with next week's Hodgepodge...what's one thing on your March calendar that makes you smile? 

Longer daylight hours! Yay!  One thing on my March calendar that makes me VERY happy is my trip to Ireland!!  I am overly excited and the best part is that I am taking this trip with my two daughters and one of my granddaughters.  Mylee's school has a week set aside each March for all of the High School students to travel to different locations.  Mylee chose Ireland and I am happy to be joining this group.  

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I don't "lose things anymore. NO.. I simply place them in strategic locations and forget the strategy.  

Shug...💚

My Adventure of Online Grocery Shopping.

 My Adventure of Online Grocery Shopping!

Well....I did it!

I placed my very first online grocery order for delivery. I know....Look at me stepping into the future...🍍🍞🍕

Here I sat on Sunday afternoon, in my comfy chair, looking at the Walmart grocery website.  I was so happy that I had finally figured out how to add items into my cart.  

No parking lot...No buggy with bad wheels...No using 14 wipes to make sure that the buggy didn't have germs on it.  

It was almost too easy and the kicker??  My groceries were delivered in TWO hours.  I was very impressed and I even felt like I was a part of the shopping team. 

But then.....

Reality pulled up right along with those grocery bags. 

First little surprise.....12 items were out of stock.  TWELVE?  Apparently half of what I eat was missing from the shelves that day.  I did get polite little messages asking if I wanted substitutions.  I said No.  

Then came lesson #1:  Pictures do not always match what you get. What I thought was a big, family sized bag of frozen vegetables turned out to be what I'd call a "personal snack pack." Two servings!!

Check the ounces....Check the servings....check the size!!

Note to self:  Zoom in and read the ounces. Those glossy pictures are deceptive little devils. 

Lesson #2:  Never...and I mean never, buy fresh produce online.  

My bag of four oranges? Two went straight to the trash.  Not "I'll cut around it" bad, No...they were just bad. I am a firm believer in inspecting my fruit like I would if I were judging it for the county fair. My shopping person failed me on this!

These lessons gave me some questions to ponder.

You start to wonder, do folks pulling your order even look at what they're placing in your bags? Are they shopping with one eye closed? Do they do a little juggling with the products they are filling your order with?

Seriously, one of my canned goods was bent way more than what you would call slightly damaged.  It was full force DAMAGED.  Would I have chosen this myself...No, I would have said it needs to go in the trash.  

Another detail that I learned.  You are charged for what you order immediately. The items that are not in stock? It can take up to 10 days to see that credit back in your account.  Not the end of the world, but worth knowing for sure.  

Now don't get me wrong.. The convenience was definitely there.  Groceries on my porch in two hours while I'm still in my pajamas...this I did like.  

All of this came with a few lessons, a couple of bruised oranges and a bent can that looked like it was trying to curtsy a queen.  These things are just humble reminders that sometimes doing it yourself still has its perks.  

Will I do it again? 🤔

Modern convenience is wonderful ... until it isn't.  

Shug....  🛒

Wondering Post

 A Little Lady "Wondering Post".....

👗..🎀..👜..👠..👓..👙..💐..👛..💋..💅..

I was sitting here the other day, looking at my hands (as one does), and I started thinking about all the little "lady things" we do....or don't do...or wish we did more of.  I thought..."I bet my blogging friends are all over the map on this!"

So, today's post is more like a fun round of questions.  

Nails:  Salon nails or at-home manicure?  Polished nails or natural?

Hair:  Do you color your hair?  Do you go to the salon? Do you prefer doing your own hair?

Skin:  Facials? Botox? Good moisturizer and moving on?

Cosmetics:  Big brand cosmetics? What ever you can find? Dedicated to what you've always used? NO make up at all?

Closet:  Name brands, bargains, thrifting, or a mix?

Shoes:  How many pairs do you think you own...and how many do you admit to having?  house shoes? Dress shoes? Boots? Flip Flops? Crocs? Tennis shoes?  Other?

What is your favorite type of shoe to wear? 

Toes:  Do you go to a salon for a good pedicure? Self pedicure?  Do you keep your piggies flip flop ready?

Here are my answers:

Nails:  Natural.  I do love polished nails but rarely do I use any color on them.  My nails are not strong and they do not grow well.  (Blaming it on thyroid issues)

Hair:  I do go to the salon every 5 weeks and I do get highlights...Right now, my hair is darker, but I do keep the grey covered up.  

Skin:  I do take care of my skin...I love a good facial and for this reason I go to a skin care esthetician for my facials.  I usually go every 3 months. I have Dry skin!

Cosmetics: When I'm at home during the day, moisturizer and sun screen is all I use. Stepping out, I use all kinds of makeup..mostly things my daughters recommend.  Cheap ✔

Closet: My closet is FULL.  I mostly wear comfy clothes around the house. Comfy as in COMFY leggings or sweat pants and a loose top. Comfy enough that if I do go to grocery store or the Post Office, I have to change into something presentable.   I shop sales.  I shop local boutiques, TJ Max, online, and occasionally Walmart.  

Shoes:  This is a different story!!  I ❤️❤️❤️ Shoes!!  I do shop for good, comfy shoes because I DO NOT like for my feet to hurt. How many pairs of shoes do I own?  2-many! For real, I have a closet full of shoes.  My favorite shoes...flip flops, tennis shoes, ALL SHOES!

Toes:  I go to the salon for my pedicures!  The truth is, I can't see well enough to polish my toes and because.. I simply enjoy a nice warm pedicure.  My toes are always flip flop ready. 

.....  At the end of the day, whether our nails are perfectly polished or chipped from washing dishes, whether our hair is salon-fresh or pulled up in a claw clip, whether our closet holds designer labels or sweet clearance finds...what matters is our happiness.  

We can be a little sassy.  We can be a shoe lover with boxes stacked high, a thrift queen who can spot a treasure  from three aisles away, or a master gardener with dirt under our nails and sunshine in our hair.. but what matters most is the heart behind it all.  The kindness we give. The laughter we share. The peace we carry into a room...these are the things that compliments us the most.  

Trends fade, heels scuff, highlights grow out, but a woman who loves well and lives with grace?  This kind of beauty never goes out of style.  

I had fun writing this "Wondering" post and I hope you all enjoy it!!  Just for fun!!

Shug...💄

Dirt Facial

 Have you ever had a dirt facial?  

Not that fancy kind that comes with cucumber slices and soft music playing in the background. 

 The one I got yesterday was free of charge ... courtesy of softball field dirt and the Texas wind. 

In this picture...Mylee is bunting the ball to bring in a team mate who was on third base. 

Sam and I spent a good portion of the afternoon at the softball field watching Mylee and her team play...AND WIN...two games. You can't beat watching your granddaughter play ball, while listening to the chatter coming from the dugout and the rhythm of cleats. Makes for an awesome afternoon...

The wind...YEP....it showed up too!!

It was blowing steady and strong yesterday...  Time after time, the dirt from the field would lift up and swirl straight toward the stands.  This is how I (all of us) were able to get that free grain facial. 

Got to have a Pickle in-between the games....lol

By the end of the day, I'm certain I had a light coating of infield dirt all across my cheeks.  My hair though...oh yes, it had plenty of volume that I wasn't expecting.  

When it's your grandchild out there on that dusty field, playing her heart out...then a few grains of dirt go practically unnoticed (at first).  lol.  

I loved seeing the team work coming from these girls and I loved the sound of the girls chanting during the game.  As an added bonus, it was fun watching the team giggle as they connected between the games.  They were creating great memories that they won't even realize are golden until years from now.  

The girls inventing their own games between the softball games. 

The best days are not polished, so I've heard...they are not neat...and sometimes they are not clean.  This one certainly was not clean!!!

As we were leaving the games and I was busy brushing off all the dust from my face, I realized that being a supportive grandparent is important to our grandchildren even when it's dusty, chilly or inconvenient.  

Most likely, Mylee will not remember how windy it was at the ballpark that day, but she will remember looking up into those stands and seeing familiar faces cheering her on.  If this costs me a little dirt on my face.....Well, I'd gladly take that facial again.  It was a fun day!

Happy Sunday...

shug...🥎