Falling Back on the Hodgepodge

Happy first day of November!

Daylight Savings Time ends this weekend and I always look forward to it...

...I know, most people think I'm nuts (and they just may be right).

When I leave to go home from work it's nearly dark

and when I go to work in the morning, the sun is blinding me!

So why do I like it?
First of all, I really like having that extra hour on Saturday evening.
We turn our clocks back after supper and it's just enough to trick my mind into thinking
that I am actually gaining an hour...I never use it for sleeping purposes.
You see, I seem to have this built-in alarm that doesn't allow me to slumber more,
just because the clock says I can.
Most weekday evenings I'm just ready to get home and stay there.

The thought of coming home, gettin' in my jammies and all cozied in on a cold evening

is just one of those simple pleasure I enjoy this time of year!

So let's get on with the Hodgepodge, shall we?

It's where Joyce asks the tough questions and we answer them on our blogs.
But you already knew that, didn't you?

1. What does/did Halloween look like at your house this year? Did you decorate? Pick pumpkins? Carve pumpkins? Expect trick or treaters? Wear a costume to a party or event? Make a costume? Feel glad you didn't have to come up with a costume? Cook a Halloween themed treat? Eat all the leftover candy?

It's actually Halloween night as I sit here writing this post and this is what it looks like: The house is quiet, Oscar is lying next to me on the couch while Tasha is asleep on the love seat. Jim is working (as usual), I didn't carve a pumpkin this year and we have had zero trick-or-treaters so far. I bought a bag of Reese's Cups just in case. Each year the number goes down...so if last year was zero, we will have less than that this year. I do not decorate for Halloween and haven't since my kids were little. I will occasionally dress up (a little) but nothing too garish.

This was shortly after Jim and I were married at a party we attended. I'm the one in the deputy's uniform...in case you didn't recognize me.

And this was last year at the PT clinic, shortly before election day. I was "Ms. Patriotic" and the bright blue eye shadow is about as scary as it gets! I remember how much more fun Halloween used to be when I was a kid...we usually made our costumes from some old clothes and anything we could find but I do remember when I had a Casper the Friendly Ghost costume...oh yeah, and Heckle and Jeckle, remember them? Actually, I dress my dogs up more than I dress up myself.

This year. no costume for me and no Halloween treats were made and few were eaten. They came passing out candy at work today and after eating a few pieces, I felt sick. I can't eat too much sugar these days and that's a GOOD thing!

2. What are you waiting for? Elaborate

I guess I could say that I am waiting on many things but as the world grows more and more chaotic, I find myself wondering and waiting for everything to settle down a bit. I don't have a lot of confidence that it will happen but we can still hope and pray. I'm afraid I might be waiting until Jesus returns.

3. Do you wish you were friendlier, braver, more creative, more athletic, or something else? Explain.

Sometimes, yes to all of the above but I don't spend a lot of time dwelling on it. There is always room for improvement and the "something else" would most definitely be SKINNIER...and that, my friends, needs NO explanation. 😕

4. When it comes time to paint are you a do-it-yourselfer or do you hire someone? What was the last paint job completed at your house? What room most needs painting now? How do you feel about wallpaper?

I have always been a do-it-yourselfer. The last paint project that I completely finished would be my kitchen cabinets. Here is a photo from my post about it.

I was going to paint the hallway BEFORE we got the new floors last winter but one thing led to another and I knew there would be more painting to be done later so I just stopped. You see, I need a deadline and now I have one...well, kinda. By putting the house on the market hopefully in the spring, all of my unfinished projects shall finally be complete. So after the hallway is finally finished, I will start painting all of the doors and baseboards. And anyone who knows me at all knows that I still love my wallpaper...not everywhere...just here and there....like in the bathroom...

...the bedroom

...and inside of my hutches...

...and of course, my back splash in the kitchen which is textured wallpaper spray painted "tin".

5. What is one specific thing you felt gratitude for in the month of October?

I specifically am very thankful for the cooler temps that October brought (finally!) and as of the end of last week, water in the well in Tennessee! You just can't move forward without it.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

It is now 9:00 PM on Halloween. Not. One. Trick-or-treater. It looks like I'll be needing to get rid if that bag of Reese's Cups. Any takers??

Enjoy the rest of your week!

A Hodgepodge without a theme...

...I guess that's why they call it a Hodgepodge, right? 😊
 Joyce, you pulled a fast one this week!



Anyway, let's get right to her questions and our answers....alrighty?

1. April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes. Has your April been filled with showers? Do you carry an umbrella, wear a slicker, or make a run for it? Besides rain, what else has filled your April?

Funny you should ask. My April as a whole hasn't been filled with so many showers until just a few days ago. It started raining on Friday afternoon of last week and it's now Tuesday evening and finally beginning to slack off. I hear that tomorrow is going to be beautiful! I do carry my umbrella and only make a run for it if I have to when I have forgotten it. No rain slicker for me...it's all about the hair, you know. My poor short-legged wiener doggies have nearly refused to go out to do their "thing" the past few days...they may need a laxative when this is all over...haha! Getting the house back in order is still an ongoing project. The weekends preceding Easter, I completely redecorated our bedroom. It was the only room in the house that still had dark brown woodwork...and really ugly 20 year old wallpaper...

...and now afterwards...

...and if you look closely you will notice the new.......wallpaper....s-h-h-h-h-h, don't tell anyone!

You have to look closely to see it...the pattern is very soft and subtle. So that was my April.

2. What's something you could you give a 30-minute presentation on at a moment's notice and with zero preparation?

How to apply wallpaper.

3. Share with us a favorite food memory from childhood.

The discovery of Chef Boy-ar-dee Pizza Mix.

Our very first taste of pizza was the homemade kind...we had never seen such a thing until it came into the stores. We were crazy about it but my dad refused to try it and had to leave the room. He said it smelled like vomit...LOL!

4. What's a song you thought you knew the lyrics to, but later discovered you were wrong?

I'm sure there are a few out there but for the life of me I can't think of one at the moment. I will tell you though that once when I was singing the hymn "It is Well" at church as a solo I goofed up the words and realized it right away but just kept on singing like I thought they were correct. It went something like this..."When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea willows blow...WRONG... sea billows roll would be correct.

5. According to one travel website, the most overrated tourist attractions in America are-
Niagara Falls (NY), Hollywood Walk of Fame (California), Times Square (NYC), Epcot (FL), Seattle Space Needle (WA), and Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market (Boston). How many of these have you seen in person? Did you feel like a tourist? Did you care? Tell us about a place (not on the list) you've visited that might be considered a tourist trap, but you love it anyway.

I haven't been to any of the places mentioned...I know, I must not get out much, right? I have been to Boston and it is possible that I may have stepped foot into Quincy Market...but I don't remember because it was so long ago...I guess I must not have felt like a tourist and I guess I didn't care either. I may have still been feeling the effects of the lobster pie I had the night before that made me sicker than a dog. Actually, I was pregnant and didn't know it yet and it's quite likely that all of the butter that lobster was swimming in (although it was terribly delicious) didn't set right on my pre-natal digestive system. Nashville would be my pick that's not on the list.

6. Your signature clothing item?

Black pants, be they long or cropped.

7. What's an experience you've had you think everyone should experience at least once? Why?

Probably 35 years ago or more when I was young and foolish, I flew in a glider...in fact, I actually flew the glider. I went up with the pilot and when we reached the proper altitude, he allowed me to flip the lever which disconnected us to the tow plane. It was about 20 minutes of feeling like a bird...no engine noise, only the sound of the wind that kept us going until we gradually descended back down to the landing strip, which I maneuvered as well. Why? Why not?!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

It has finally stopped raining :)

If you can't paint it, wallpaper it!

This was my mother-in-law's hutch.

I searched high and low to find a photo of it and wouldn't you know that the one I found 

had a bunch of extra crap stuff on it that shouldn't be there...oh well.

This was my mother-in-law's corner cabinet that matches said hutch.

I would really like to paint said hutch and corner cabinet...BUT...

Jim would never have it.

Why is it that most men do not like painted furniture?

Now even though I am a pretty independent kinda girl,

I will not go against hubby's wishes..................most of the time.

Just kidding. Never.

So after emptying both of them when we got our new flooring a few weeks ago,

I was faced with putting it all back but it needed to be changed up some how.

I perused Pinterest for a couple of days to to find some ideas...

I was thinking wallpaper for the inside.

Oh, there were TONS of painted hutches with wallpaper inside but not many un-painted ones.

I needed something light in color and a pattern that wasn't bold or busy.

Then a light bulb went off.

I had a couple of partial rolls left over from another project.

Now y'all probably remember that I do like my wallpaper regardless what "they" say...

...my house, my choice, right?

I recently saw that it's on it's way back in...oh goody!

You would think that wallpapering such a small area would be quick and simple.

Well, it turned out to be a little bit challenging.

Sometimes working in small spaces can be difficult but it wasn't too bad.

It took most of an afternoon after thinking it might take an hour...well, not quite.

But, hey...what do you think??

I am very pleased and think it made my dishes and glassware POP!

I didn't paper the base, just the back and sides,

   

It was almost like having two new pieces of furniture...I said almost.

Many of my teacups and dishes also came from my MIL. 

Jim got me the Crown Ruby Band set for my birthday last year.

I love this tea set...and now you can actually see it!

So...the thought of painting these cabinets quickly faded after adding the wallpaper.
Jim was happy with the look too.
But since he liked this so well, I wonder if he'll change his mind about the paint?

I'd say it's highly unlikely :)
Enjoy your week!

I'm sharing this with Maggie over at
Mosaic Monday