An Eastery Hodgepodge

It sure does seem that we got to Easter mighty quickly. Didn't we just celebrate Christmas? I know we say it all the time, but, time really does speed right on by.  But, for now, I'll enjoy answering the questions that Joyce has prepared for us this Easter week.  

1. Do you celebrate Easter? If so what are your plans this year? Did you have egg hunts as a kid? 

Oh, yes, we do celebrate Easter! It's one of my most favorite celebrations. This year will be a bit different as we generally have our son and family here and celebrate on Sat. I hide eggs for the girls and have some Easter "happies" for them.  But, they will be at the beach this weekend with their Mom and other Grandmother.  I gave them their "happies" last weekend.  Our son will join us for lunch on Sunday.  It will be a lowkey Easter but that certainly doesn't lower the significance of the day.

I can't remember hunting eggs as a child but surely I did.  I'm sure Easter baskets were merely for holding eggs and there was nothing else in them.  Easter baskets, like everything else, have gone a bit over the top in recent years.

2. What's your favorite bread to find in a bread basket? 

Oh, my goodness!  While I do not generally eat bread, I'll sure take just about any kind. It's something I treat myself to when eating out if the restaurant brings bread as an appetizer. Give me bread and oil and I really don't even need a meal.  It's a good thing that it's not available often.

3. Your favorite chick flick?

I have a few but Steel Magnolias was the first to pop into my mind.  Such a great, great movie and filmed right here in our great state of Louisiana.

4.Tax day is rapidly approaching in the US of A...what's something you currently find 'taxing'? 

Yesterday morning I decided to bake some brownies for the Grand girls and their Momma to take to the beach with them this weekend.  I usually use a couple of my brownie pans because I love not having to cut brownies and these are neat and nice little small squares with about 24 to a pan.  But, I decided to use my mini cupcake pans instead. I baked them, cooled them and then went to remove them and they simply would NOT come out.  I was so frustrated!  I had even sprayed the pans with Pam.   It ended up being the biggest mess and to say I was "taxed" would be an understatement.  I finally got them all scrapped out and thrown in the trash.  I bake all the time and I pretty much know all the "tricks of the trade" and I'm fairly certain that I should have sprayed the pans with Baker's Secret rather than Pam.  I use Baker's Secret in my bundt pans and have NEVER had a cake stick, even in the fancy designed pans.  I'm not sure why I chose Pam but it will NOT happen again.  I'm going to try a redo today so I will let you know. ~smile~

5. Have you ever ridden in a taxi? Do you have a funny-scary-crazy-interesting taxi story to share? Do you use any of the newer taxi-like services such as Uber? 

On my first two trips to NYC a taxi was all we used to get us from place to place.  It was an unforgettable experience!  I'm not sure I've ever been so scared in my life.  I mean those drivers drive like a "bat out of he...."  I finally had had all I could take and I told one of the drivers that I would appreciate him driving carefully and he did.  They drive fast, stop fast and weave in and out of traffic all while going FAST!  

On my last trip to NYC about 3 years ago we used Uber for everything and they were amazing.  We had the app on our phones and they showed up at the right place at the right time and drove decently.  No more NYC taxis for this gal! 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Because HE lives, I can face tomorrow.

The Wednesday Hodgepodge

It's been a bit too long since I participated in the Hodgepodge so thought it was time I get back with it.  Joyce is so faithful to us, gives us the questions and we give her the answers.  A fun post for all.

1. What puts a spring in your step these days? 

The arrival of spring has put "spring" in my step.  While I do not like big time yard work, I love preparing our porches and patio for spring and summer.  Everything is already green and our rose garden is just about to burst forth.  That against the backdrop of the pond is such fun to look out and see everyday. We are so thrilled we chose this location for our new home 6 1/2 years ago.

2. April 2nd was National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. Did you celebrate? Do you like PB and J? If so how do you like yours? What's your favorite kind of jelly? 

I had no idea there was such a day, so, no, I did not celebrate.  I LOVE peanut butter (the crunchy kind) and I like jelly, but I have NEVER eaten a PBJ sandwich and I never will.  Just does not appeal to me at all.  Weird! I know.  It's rare for me to eat jelly but if I do, I prefer plain ole grape jelly. 

3. What's a memory you associate with spring flowers?

Oh, my goodness! My earliest memory would be dandeloins. As a very small child I could hardly wait for the dandeloins to bloom so I could go pick them and then blow their little hairs everywhere.  That was back in the days when we had no TV and most of my entertainment was playing outside until dark.  Those were the days............

4. Three things on your spring bucket list? Do you have a spring bucket list? If not pretend you do. 

1. Attend and cheer on our Andi Kate when her softball season starts next week.

2.  Have some ladies over to enjoy our porch and pergola while it's still cool enough to do so.

3. Take a spin with my fella in his "toy" one or two times. ~grin~ I'm not a fan of convertibles but Hubby sure is.

5. One place you will travel this spring? (It might be Europe or it might be the grocery store)

We will be traveling to the Atlanta area the first of May to see Hubby's sisters and their husbands for a few days.  We always look forward to our time together and there's always a lot of fun retail therapy for the gals.  Oh, my goodness! So much wonderful shopping.  We're hoping for beautiful weather while we're there.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I bought a new phone yesterday, the 13 Pro Max.  I had the 10 XS and thought it was an amazing phone and could do amazing things.  It was 3 1/2 years old and had begun to have a few glitches so I decided it was time to get a new one.  Well, my goodness, this phone does everything but clean my house. ~just jokin'~  I can't help but wonder how many more things can they enable a phone to do in the future. I guess there will always be another "new and improved" version but it baffles me.  And, I'll just go ahead and admit it, I do enjoy it and the very few times that I have forgotten it, I've felt like I was missing an arm.  But, I sure did seem to make it just fine without one for many, many years. ~sigh~

March Prime Purchases

And, here it is, March prime purchases. 

CASUAL  LACE  SLEEVED  TOP

This is the cutest top and comes in a few colors. I love the sleeves! It is just perfect for this season. I got the white and the gray one.  I am constantly amazed at the choice of clothing on Amazon.  I've ordered enough that I realize the reviews are the way to go.  But, it's so easy to return that it's not that big of deal if you happen to not like the item or it isn't quality made. 

AMAZON

METALLIC  POST  IT  PAGE  MARKERS

I keep "page markers" by my chair at all times.  I might see an article, a recipe or something I want to refer back to and these are so handy to "mark the page."  These are so cute and I got 2-3 packages so that I could give a couple of them away.  They add an extra sass to page markers for sure.

AMAZON

BURLAP  WIRED  RIBBON

I make bows to use on the trees by our front door each season.  Just one large bow at the bottom to generally match the color of the pillows I have on the benches.  I was a happy gal when I found I could find the ribbon in any color on Amazon and I didn't have to go chasing it down from store to store. This is a great wired ribbon for protected outdoor use.

AMAZON

BUFFALO  PLAID  PILLOW  COVERS  AND  INSERTS

AMAZON

I love  buffalo plaid check and use these pillow covers on our porch benches for the various seasons of the year.  And, like the ribbon, they come in great colors and are a thick and weatherproof fabric. They come in a few sizes and I opted for the 24 x 24.  These are only covers so you will need to order the pillow forms below to fill them with.  And, while these pillow forms are 24 x 24, they are not as tight as I like.  So, I buy a bag of  poly fill and add some to each corner to make sure the pillows are tight. Tight pillows look SO much better. ~in my opinion~

AMAZON

OVERSIZED  MAKEUP  MIRROR

Okay ladies, if you need a HUGMONGUS mirror, then this is for you!  I love everything about it except that it is not lighted.  It's a regular mirror on one side and 3x magnified on the other.  I love that part for sure because, for me, 3x is enough magnification.  Anything more is distorted.  I don't want or need a lot of light on a mirror when applying my makeup but just not sure this one will work for my makeup application.  I do love the size though.

AMAZON

SHIRT  EXTENDERS

If you are like me, you probably have some tops that you wish were just a tad longer.  Well, no more worries, meet the shirt extender!  These are the "cat's meow."  They just slide on and extend under your top for a longer length.  They are especially great when you wear leggings and need to make sure your derriere is covered.  I got the white, gray and black. NOTE: they run very small so I suggest you size up.

AMAZON

MEAT  TENDERIZER

I love kitchen gadgets!  While at our daughter's a couple of weeks ago her husband used one of these tenderizers on some steak he was about the grill.  I was intriqued and decided I might need one of these in my kitchen.  I do make a chicken dish where the boneless kitchen breasts are tenderized before using and this will be great to have.  It comes in black, white and this lime green and, of course, why not lime green.  It will certainly be easy to find. ~grin~

AMAZON

GLASS  TEAPOT

I love this tea pot but I do not use it for what it is intended to be used for.  I keep tea in our refrigerator ALL the time.  I make it by putting tea bags in a glass container and bringing the water to a boil in the microwave.  I've always just used a 4 cup measuring cup but this is soooo much cuter and has a top to put on when I take it out of the microwave and a spout to pour it into the tea pitcher.  It is made to use with loose tea but it works great for tea bags as well.  I just removed the attached strainer.

AMAZON

HEAT  RESISTANT  FLAT/CURLING  IRON HOLDER 

I've been using the same flatiron/curling iron holder (for traveling)  for years and years and it was time for a new one.  This one is plenty big and has room for the cord as well and is very well padded and comes in several fabric prints.

AMAZON

BACON  UP

Oh, my goodness folks!!!! This right here is a game changer!  A tub of bacon grease without having to fry one piece of bacon. I love to add a tad of bacon grease to green beans, peas, etc. but I never have it so I generally just add a couple slices of bacon.  Not sure who dreamed this up but what a brilliant idea!

AMAZON

DEMOCRACY  ABSOLUTION  CROPS

Gals, these are just the cutest and most comfortable jean type crop I've nearly ever owned.  My dear daughter introduced me to this brand and they have regular jeans, crops, capris, jeggings and in every shade and cute camo prints.  I'm so picky about jeans and these fit all my criteria for a good fitting and comfortable jean.  You just might want to give them a try.

AMAZON

70th  BIRTHDAY TEE SHIRT

I know lots of folks hitting the big 70 this year, including myself.  I'm thinking that a cute tee might be a good gift for some of them.  Amazon has lots and lots but this is one that I ordered to have on hand.  I think this one would be especially cute with a crown to wear.  Might make turning 70 a little less traumatic. ~grin~

AMAZON

That's it for this month.  Hope you saw something that "spoke" to you.

Have an awesome April!!