Wednesday's Hodgepodge

1. What's one thing you learned at the ripe old age of whatever age you are now?

I've known for a long time that I truly have NO control over so much but this whole Covid mess has really taught me how little control I have.  I mean, all the fretting and stewing over the way things are will not change them and some days I feel so powerless.  This is especially true when it comes to my precious Daddy who lives in an assisted living facility.  I have had to ask the Lord for calmness and patience more times than I care to admit. And, I know HE is in control and who better to be?

2. I read here a list of foods that can help you look younger-

extra virgin olive oil, green tea, fatty fish, dark chocolate, vegetables, flaxseeds, pomegranates, avocados, tomatoes, spices, bone broth

How many of the foods listed have you tried? How many do you eat regularly? Your favorite from the list?

I have used olive oil in cooking but not regularly, I do love dark chocolate, especially with an almond included, I eat most vegetables and I like most spices.  I regularly eat dark chocolate and vegetables and I use various spices on a regular basis and their generally on the "hot" side of spicy. I mean, we live in Louisiana and that means "hot and spicy."

3. Something you miss from the 'good old days'? When were the good old days anyway?

I think my growing up years were 'good old days."  There were few to no interruptions, great TV shows that were so family friendly and we didn't have the need to be in constant communication with each other.  Life was slower and a bit sweeter.  I do love my life as it is now but it is such a contrast to my early years.  I often wonder what it would be like to go back to that slower and calmer lifestyle.  And, one where the Sabbath was truly a "day of rest." 

4. What are two or three of the most rewarding things to be found in growing older?

Wisdom - I have certainly gotten wiser with each passing year.  Now, I certainly have a whole lot more to gain and I imagine as long as we are living that is the case. 

Realizing I don't always have to say yes - It was such a freeing time in my life when I realized that I had the freedom to say no to things either I did not want to do or did not have the time to do and did not have to give an explaination for either. 

5. What's your favorite part of your life right now?

Good health and a life that's fairly balanced with pleasure and those things over which I have responsibility.  I thoroughly enjoy the phase of life I am in and hope it will continue for many more years.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Last week I took my annual trip to the woods with Hubby.  I always go once a year when he is getting his deer stands prepared for hunting season, putting out feed and sitting up his camera.  If the truth be known, at this point in his life, he enjoys this far more than hunting.  He has been hunting for 60+ years and has killed about all the deer he ever cares to kill, had the thrills and isn't all that fond of the early morning hunts and the cold, cold weather.  It was a bit of a cooler morning when we went and once we sprayed ourselves with OFF, the mosquitos left us alone.  It was an enjoyable time sharing the great outdoors with my favorite fella.  

The Wednesday Hodgepodge

Wowzers, it's already September.  I mean, Christmas will be here before we know it.  I told someone the other day that I sometimes think that Christmas rolls around too often and that perhaps it would be better if the gift giving part was only every 5 years.  We could celebrate the birth of our Savior every year but the gift giving can get to be a little much sometimes.  But, hey, let me move on to the questions at hand.

1. The Hodgepodge lands on the second day of a brand new month. Tell us one thing you're looking forward to in September.
Tommy and I will be going to the Atlanta area to see his two sisters and their husbands in about 3 weeks and we always enjoy our time with them.  We're even going to take a little side trip to The Highlands with them.  Perhaps more fall than summer will be in the air by then.

2. Do you enjoy browsing second-hand shops? Last thing you bought or 'inherited' second hand?

It all depends on the shop.  I went to a second hand home decor shop last week with a friend and left almost as soon as I went in.  It was sooooo disheveled and unorganized and while I'm pretty sure they had some great "finds", I just didn't enjoy trying to browse through the store.  Give me a well put together second-hand shop and I'm all in.

3. Something you had second thoughts about after committing to, purchasing, or posting/commenting  online?


About a year ago I purchases a couple of pieces of Copper Chef pans.  I had heard so many positive comments about it that I felt I just had to give it a try.  I definitely had second thoughts as I didn't really need any more cookware but I really wanted some that was non-stick.  And, let me tell you, Copper Chef delivered!  I have bought more pieces now and will eventually replace all of my stainless steel cookware with this. 

4. What's a product or service you use that you'd rate as second to none?




I am a big fan of L'ange hair products but this hair dryer is one of my favorites.  I've had my dryer a couple of years and it a lightweight, quiet and quick to dry.  You can check out L'ange products here.

5. Something you do so often or that comes so naturally to you it's second nature ?

This will likely sound silly but I'm always picking up or straightening up.  No joke!  I live by the motto, "don't put it down, put it up."  Of course, with just Hubby and me here most of the time, it's not that difficult, but back when the kids were at home, it was a full time job.  I try to never let clutter and stuff get ahead of me.  Yes, I'm one of those people and doubtful at this point that I will ever change.  It truly is second nature for me.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I'm fairly certain, unless you live under a rock, that you have heard about the devastating hurricane, Laura, that hit Louisiana last Thursday.  The worse hurricane to ever hit.  We live in the Northeast part of the state and by the time it arrived here it was a category 1 with winds about 70mph.  It  was the first time in over 150 years that a hurricane has hit our area.  While there were lots of home damaged, tons of trees downed and tons of debris strewn everywhere, there is no comparison to the damage in Lake Charles, where the hurricane landed.  A lot of our area was without electricity for some time and a few are still without.  We were able to house some of our dearest friends in our guest suite while they were without electricity 3 days.  We were out for 2-3 hours but we have a full house generator and were most grateful for it.  You can ride around and see lots of roofs with tarps pulled across areas of them, trees piled on the sides of the road and we have a lot of evacuees staying in our 3 local hotels.  And, schools have been closed since last Thursday.  They had just started last Wed. and boom!  While everyone was concerned about how the Covid was going to affect the school year, no one was expecting Laura to come this far north.  So, it's just one more thing that 2020 has thrown our way but, as they say, "we are Louisiana strong."  On a side note, our porches were the only thing that required attention here after the severe winds and rain.  We have no trees and both Hubby and I are so grateful because for 35 years we lived where we had trees upon trees and had massive cleanups following any bit of storm. I was able to get both porches back in order very quickly.  But, the dear folks in Lake Charles may never fully recover.  I can't even imagine living through such devastation.

Sending you "splashes of joy!"

August Prime Purchases

Can you believe, it's the first Tuesday of Sept and also the first day of Sept. What a year this has been and I don't want to rush time, but I'm ready for 2021 to get here and hopefully bring with it, some kind of normalcy.  We can always hope can't we?  But, for today, I'll share with you some of my Prime Purchases.

SHEETS

I'm pretty sure I have shared these sheets with you before, but I ordered a couple more sets and wanted to make sure you hear about them again.  These sheets are just great and for such an affordable price. And, they have such a great color selection.  I like to match my sheets to the bedding and with all these color choices, that's pretty easy.  If you are in need of sheets, then you just might want to give these a try.

AMAZON

TOUCHLESS  SOAP  DISPENSER

I love touchless soap dispensers and just ordered this one for our guest bathroom.  I have one in the kitchen also.  I feel like those are the most used places for hand washing and guests use our guest bath and this seems to be a wise choice in these "germaphobic" days we are living in.  It comes in 3-4 finishes to match whatever you decor may be.  It works great, you just have to remember that it will not work with a thick handsoap and will often get hung up.  I always Simple Human hand soap in the two dispensers I have and they never miss a beat.  It can also be found on Amazon.

AMAZON

PIKO  TOPS

I remember the first Piko top that I ever bought about 8 years ago.  I loved it and they are even better now as they loosened the sleeves and that was a wonderful improvement as they were skin tight.  I enjoy wearing these with leggings on a real casual day.  They come in soooo many great colors.  If you are looking for a great casual, comfortable top, this is for you. 

AMAZON

SET  OF  3  WOODEN  SERVING  TRAYS

These are like small Charcuterie boards and so nice looking.  They are a great size to use for a cream cheese block with a sauce over it with wheat thins.  And, I think they would make a great gift with cookies or candy or perhaps both placed on them.  They come 3 to a pack  and they would work well along with a large Charcuterie board.  As someone said, Charcuterie boards have become "works of art."  And, I heard someone refer to them  as "grazing boards" as well,  So, suit yourself, as to what you call them.

AMAZON

FOUNDATION  BRUSH

I LOVE makeup brushes!  I have never used them for my foundation until lately and I don't think I'll over go back to applying it with my fingers. I ordered this foundation brush and LOVE it and I love the way it smooths out my foundation.  The short bristles make it so easy to manage and it works perfectly for applying foundation.  I have learned a lot about using makeup brushes from watching You Tube videos.  I'm pretty sure there's a You Tube video on just about anything you want to learn how to use or do. And, makeup brushes can cost a small fortune but this one is very reasonably priced.

AMAZON

AIR  WICK  AUTOMATIC FRAGRANCE DISPENSER

A sweet friend of mine gave me one of these a couple of weeks ago.  I liked it so much that I ordered one for my husband's office.  They are automatic fragrance dispensers and work like a charm.  I have mine on the top of a cabinet  just as you walk in our garage door.  It keeps such a fresh smell in the air and they make Lysol spray for them as well but, of course, those are not to be had right now.  They are battery operated and I have mine set to go off about every 15 minutes.  It has 3 settings and I'm not sure how long the batteries are going to last but I'm sure a while.  You can get a few different fragrances but, I prefer the Fresh Linen

AMAZON

So, there you have it and if you see something you want to try, click on the link and order it.  It's just that easy, in fact, Amazon shopping it wayyyyyy tooooooo easy and convenient.

And, I leave you with this............

Etouffee - Louisiana Style

I've had several folks to ask me for this Etouffee recipe  and decided to make a blog post out of it as their may be others of you that would enjoy having this ULTRA easy and quick recipe for some yummy Louisiana eating.

A sweet friend gave me this recipe about 20 years ago and I've never made Etouffee any other way.  She served it at a club meeting and we all thought that she had slaved over the stove for hours making this.  But, I'm telling you from start to finish it takes about 30 minutes.  The hardest part is opening all the cans of soup. ~no joke~  You can thank me later.........

Etoufee

from the kitchen of Lea Culp

3 cans Golden Mushroom Soup

1 can diced Rotel Tomatoes

1/2 pkg. frozen Seasoning Blend

1/2 stick of butter

1 lb. boiled shrimp or 1/2 lb shrimp and 1 lb. of crayfish

Saute' Seasoning Blend in butter and then add all other ingredients and simmer

for 30 minutes.  If you do not use a non-stick pan then be very careful as

this will stick and burn and that would be real aggravating!  It is served over rice or some folks prefer angel hair pasta. Suit yourself!

My personal notes:  This is easily doubled or tripled and freezes like a dream. I always triple it and I use 2 pounds of shrimp and 1 pound of crayfish.  You can suit yourself on that.  All this dish needs is a salad and french bread and dinner is ready.  It is such a crowd pleaser!  And, if you want to thin it some, just add Chicken Broth to get the consistency you desire. 

Now, go copy and paste the recipe over into Word, run it off, and you'll have this for future use.  

I thought this was a very timely quote for this recipe and the times we are living in.

The Wednesday Hodgepodge

It's Wednesday and that means it's Hodgepodge time.  Enjoy!

1. Five years ago this month hubs and I relocated from New Jersey to the Palmetto State. What were you doing five years ago this month?

On August 14, 2015 we moved in to this house.  We had been in our former house for 35 years and had spent a couple of years working on the plans for this house.  It was a HUGE move but we have so enjoyed these past 5 years.  We were still unpacking boxes, and getting settled when we got a phone call from our daughter that she had just gone into labor and that we needed to head that way. Coleman was due the first week of Oct. but decided to make his entrance on August 31, 2015.  So, off we went and believe it or not, they had just moved from Texas to OKC (like 2 days before), and they had boxes on top of boxes and they needed us to start unpacking and get their house in some kind of order.  I look back on it and cannot believe we survived all of it but we all know that's just what parents do.  It makes me tired just recalling it. ~chuckle~

2. What was the last 9-5 job you worked? Tell us about it.
Well, we are really digging up memories today for sure.  My last job was a bank teller, a job I had until I "retired" to enter Motherhood 43 years ago this month.  And, in those days, it was an 8-2 job.  It was the greatest job on earth and I so enjoyed my banking days.  

3. Plead the fifth, high five, take five, it's five o'clock somewhere, or the big 5-0...which number five phrase relates to your life in some way currently? Tell us how.

I think I would have to say "plea the fifth" and that's rare but there have been a few times in the past months that I have had to "plea the fifith" when things turned political. Now, that's mentally, not verbally.  I just choose to keep my mouth shut.

4. During this season of spending so much time at home, what distractions get in the way of being your most productive? Or have you been extra productive since this whole thing started?

I would have to say I feel I have been very productive.  The first few weeks I cleaned out, straightened up and reorganized things that were already organized. ~no joke~  I have baked and baked and baked some more and I picked up crocheting again.  I did get distracted with the Netflix series, Anne With An E at the very first of the pandemic.  But, I'm much happier with busy hands than idle hands. 

5. Give us a list here of your top five anything.

These were the first 5 things to come to my mind and I'm sure our country's current state of affairs had a lot to do with that. 

5 Day Makers

1 - Start your day with a quiet time with the Lord. It's a difference maker!

2 - Do something nice for someone everyday.

3 - Always be kind.

4 - Always be encouraging.

5 - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

We were in Oklahoma last week and while we were there we celebrated this little guy's 1st birthday.  His actual birthday is this Friday but since we were there Bridget decided to go ahead and celebrate.  He had no reservations at all about digging into his smash cake.  He is the happiest little guy and totally mesmerized by his two older brothers.

The Wednesday Hodgepodge

It's another Wednesday and that means another Hodgepodge. Hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed answering.

1.  What's happening where you live in terms of schools opening? How do you feel about it?

Hummm......our local public schools are waiting until after Labor Day to even start, the district my DIL teaches in is doing an A/B schedule and the private school our Grangirls attend is going full steam ahead.  They are a smaller school and are making modifications to try and prevent any spread of the Covid.  It all remains to be seen and overall, it seems that the opening of schools is a most stressful situation for all concerned.

I really think that waiting to start school until after Labor Day is probably a very good idea. But since I did not get a vote in the matter, it doesn't appear that will be the case in most instances. 

2. What's something you still do 'old school'?

I still keep a wall calendar with all of mine and Hubby's activities and appointments on it.  I use my I-phone calendar for all the birthdays I remember.  But, I love looking at our wall calendar and seeing each week lined out for me and what is coming up.

3. August 4th is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. Will you/did you celebrate by baking a batch? Eating a batch? Nuts or no nuts? Homemade or store bought? Soft and chewy or do you prefer your cookie to snap when you bite into it?

Well, I had no idea but believe it or not, I baked Chocolate Chip cookies yesterday.  Remember, I LOVE to bake.  My oldest Grandson loves them and I told him I would bring him a batch when we go this Saturday.  But, he prefers them without nuts.  I mean, really, who doesn't like nuts?  But, I caved and made them without, just for him.  They are somewhere between chewy and snapping.  I do not like a cookie that snaps when you eat it.  First, that causes crumbs and I'm all about neat and for me, a softer cookie is the best. 

4. What are you starved for?

Normalcy!!!!  Will it ever return?  I don't know that our lives will ever know normal again.  We'll likely have to find a new normal and I was quite content with the old normal.  Shucks!!!!

5. Anything new and interesting on your August calendar? What is one thing you're looking forward to this month?

Nothing new and interesting but we'll be leaving on Saturday headed to Oklahoma to help out our daughter and her family.  She heads back to school on Monday but the older boys do not go for 2 more weeks and the baby's sitter doesn't start until the following week.  So, the ox is sort of in the ditch and we're going to rescue them.  And, I'll try to do some bulk cooking for her too.  If Poppa can handle the older two then I think I can handle the baby and when he naps, I'll do some cooking.  We shall see how this all goes.  I'll let you know. ~smile~ 

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

I am astounded at the bareness of the shelves of all the grocery stores in our area.  I mean, the soup aisle is practically non-existent, no green beans and of course, no antibacterial cleaners or sprays. Our toilet paper and paper towel section has replenished somewhat. I suppose it is just a domino effect of the Covid.  And, Amazon Prime is not really Prime anymore, and, while that is truly a small item, they have sure spoiled us to that 2 day delivery and now it can take up to a week. But, it is what it is and we will "carry on." 

And, do as this says.........

July's Prime Purchases

Can you believe it's already the first Tuesday of August?  I mean, time is flying by although there have certainly been some days in the past few months that it seemed to be moving so s-l-o-w-l-y.  Regardless, it's time for me to share a few of my Prime Purchases from July.  I think these are tops and you may well want to order some yourself.

HALLMARK   BLANK  NOTES

These are the greatest little note cards, and in such happy colors.  There are 20 of each color and I separated them out to 5 sets of 4 of each color in each set, wrapped them in raffia and now they are ready to give as a gift.  I kept one of the sets for myself and have already used some of mine.  It's a great deal considering, should you desire, get 5 gifts out of it.

Amazon

COCOON COOLMAX BLANKET 

This is the most amazing lightweight blanket.  I  use mine in the car if I get chilled and I've even been known to use it at a restaurant to cover my legs if I'm wearing shorts. And, they are great to take on an airplane with you.  I keep it in my vehicle and it's small enough to put in my purse if need be.  They are a bit costly but they are well made and wash up great. I bought each of our Grans one of them and they LOVE them!

Amazon

HOTOUCH  PAJAMA'S 

They call these pajama's but I call them lounging clothes because that's what I use them for.  These are soooo cute and so well made and very reasonably priced.  I like to put these on after dinner.  They are so comfortable and the perfect clothing for evening at home wear. 

Amazon

NYLON  LIGHTWEIGHT SHOPPING BAGS

These are the cutest  They are a nylon shopping bag but I use mine for carrying all sorts of things. And again, they come 6 to a package for such a GREAT price and and what a great little "happie" gift to share with a friend.  What woman out there doesn't love "another" bag!!

Amazon

FACE  MASKS 

Okay, if we have to wear masks, then I say wear a cute mask!  These have such bling and are so cute and they come 3 to a package for a really good price.  They come in lots of colors so go check them out and order you a package.

Amazon

BOUNTIFUL  BOARDS BOOK 

Okay, ladies, if you have a Charcuterie Board then you need to order this book.  It tells you you all about them and gives you ideas for creating one for any occasion.  I have so enjoyed browsing through it and can't wait to use mine.

AMAZON

20 ounce Insulated Tumbler

These insulated tumblers are "all that and a bag of chips."  No joke!  They are the perfect size, not too big but not to small.  I use mine for coffee and it keeps it good and hot for a while.  If you are into cold drinks, it will keep them cold for an even longer time.  They come in some great colors and if you want to really "jazz" them up, then add a name or a monogram to them.  They also make a great gift to yourself or someone else. 

 Amazon

Set of 3 Resin Candlesticks 

These are the prettiest candlesticks!  I saw a spot in our house that I thought needed these.  They are made of a resin but they look like wood.  I'm using the LED candles on them and they are beautiful.  

AMAZON

And, there you have it.  I thought these items were some of the best and I hope you saw something that "spoke" to you as well.  

Now, go have yourself a good rest of the week!