Wednesday Hodgepodge 661

I'm linking up, once again, with Joyce at From This Side Of the Pond for the Weekly Hodepodge. Find Joyce here. You'll see more about this below, but I'm looking for blogging topics and Joyce asks interesting questions.

1. What's something you enjoy now that your younger self would never have appreciated?

Being outside. When I was a kid I would do anything to be able to stay inside. I much preferred reading and doing all my family's laundry, rather than doing outside chores like working in the garden. My mom would take the day of her birthday off work to stay home and garden and I never understood that.

 

Now I do. It's Sunday afternoon as I write the bulk of this post and I've been outside for most of today. I tended to my day lilies (and counted the ones in bloom today (over a hundred!!!)!), I've hung laundry, I've read some of my book, and I've planted some more grass. Now I'm blogging outside and later this afternoon I'll go over to have a visit on the porch with my friend and drink some tea.

WHO AM I EVEN!?!??! 

2. What was peaceful about today?

My entire morning was peaceful -- drinking coffee-hot chocolate outside, hanging laundry, deadheading my day lilies, and reading my book. The birds were singing and I had nowhere to be. It was glorious. 

3. It's National Blueberry Day (July 8). Will you celebrate?  You can have one of the following right now-a slice of blueberry pie, a warm blueberry muffin, or a stack of blueberry pancakes...which do you choose?

This or that-blueberries or raspberries? blueberries or strawberries?

I did not grow up with blueberries. I mean, I'm sure they existed at the grocery store but Saskatchewan had Saskatoon berries, which I still think are way tastier than blueberries. My favourite is Saskatoon berry pie. Our house has a Saskatoon berry tree in the front and we pick the berries right off the tree. We took care of our friends' house while they were away for a few days and my friend made us Saskatoon berry muffins as a thank you. I've been eating them for breakfast and they are soooo good!

If I'm doing this or that with blueberries I'll pick raspberries and strawberries over blueberries. I don't dislike them, I just think other berries are better! 

4. Do you need a break? From what?

I needed a break from work, and I'm definitely getting that! I've been on summer break for about a week and a half now and it's been glorious! I also needed a break from our heat last week and this week has been so much better. So no, I don't really need a break right now, but that's because I'm getting one.

5. What has surprised you most about getting older?

How hard it is to sleep! I used to take sleep for granted and now I don't. I've hit the stage of life where I rarely sleep through the night anymore and it's so irritating. Gah.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

As I said above, I'm glad Joyce has these weekly questions for us. As the kids are getting older I'm looking for topics to blog about which don't include them as much. As Sam goes into Grade 12 in September, and Rachel enters Grade 10, I'm also starting to think more about what life will look like as they're around less. Many of my friends are empty nesters and I see those years coming for Dave and I too.

My second random thought has to do with blogging -- I like to try and read, and comment on, every post in link ups I join. However, more and more blogs require a WordPress account and my WordPress account has not been playing nice lately. I have to reset my password every time I want to post a comment and I feel like my comments still disappear. So, if you have a blog which requires WordPress, please know that I'm trying to comment on it -- I'm just not very successful lately.

So those are my answers to the Hodgepodge this week. I'm having tea with another friend this morning and then I'm planning on going to the library to do some blogging so, hopefully, I'll be able to read some of the other posts soon. Happy Wednesday.

Currently: July 2026

Well, I've been on summer break for just under three days and I still can't manage to write a blog post in a timely fashion. Maybe next time... :) However, even though I missed linking up with Amy at Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa yesterday, I still wanted to write a "Currently" post. You can find Amy here and read other posts in this link up.

 [Sparkling]

Anticipating my upcoming summer break, last weekend I had Dave buy a selection of "sparkling" Fever Tree beverages for mixing drinks. I'm excited to figure out something fun to do with the grapefruit juice. I've tried mixing it with vodka but it needs something a little sweet to perk it up. I've also got a huge basil plant on the table on our deck so I'm trying to figure out if I can do something with basil in a drink too. (I know -- I could just Google something but it's so much more fun to experiment!!!)

[Grilling/Cooking]

We're "grilling/cooking" everything we can these days. Our CSA (community shared agriculture) started a few weeks ago and there's so many good veggies. We had my favourite grilled romaine last week and we've discovered salmon burgers this summer, which are a nice protein switch for me. Mom and Dad also brought a few packages of farmer's sausage when they came so we've had that as a treat as well.

 

[Heating up]

Our summer weather has been "heating up" this week, which is not my favourite. Yesterday it was 44C (111F) with the humidex, which measures the temperature with the humidity in the air. Without humidex it was 34C (low 90s). Anyways, this is way too hot for me. I get an instant headache from the humidity whenever I step outside. I was thankful our baseball game earlier this week was an evening game, and that we had seats in the shade. Phew, it's been hot. And we still have a few days of this heat left to go...

 

[Using]

I've been "using" my little vases to make mini bouquets. I'm also "using" random flowers in my yard to make the bouquets. It's been a lot of fun! My bouquets are nowhere near as artistic as what my mom makes, but I'm trying...

 

[Celebrating]

Yesterday, we celebrated Canada Day. We watched the Blue Jays game (and what a game it was!!!) and ate poutine for supper. We've also been "celebrating" how well Canada has been doing in the World Cup. We're so ready to cheer them on in the Round of 16 on Saturday!!! Canada's previous best World Cup showing was ... scoring a goal... so this run has been incredibly exciting!!!

 

So that is what's up with us "Currently." We're easing into summer break here, and once the heat breaks, we'll be getting a few things done. Until then, you can find us hunkered down, probably watching sports!

What's Up Wednesday: June 2026

This June has been so full of living life that I've hardly taken any pictures. And for my regular readers, you may have noticed I have barely blogged. It's been a month. 

Answering these questions monthly helps me reflect on the past month and I really appreciate having a record of what we've been up to. The questions come from Shay at Mix and Match Mama and Sheaffer at Sheaffer Told Me Too.

image from here

 

What we're eating this week... Our CSA started last week so we've had lots of delicious CSA veggies to eat. In fact, last night as I started writing this post, Dave was putting away our second week. My parents came to visit and brought Farmer's sausage so we've had a lot of that as well. I mixed up a batch of my favourite kale salad and I picked up more kale yesterday. I love the food this time of year!!!

What I'm reminiscing about... I've been too busy trying to keep up with all the June things to reminisce about anything. Although yesterday I was remembering how last year at this time the heat was blowing all day in the office (on the hottest day of the summer) and making everyone miserable. I was so thankful all day yesterday for moderate temperatures at work! I reminded a few people of how it was so much more pleasant this year. (I guess we don't always have to reminisce about something good, right?!)

What I'm loving... I'm really appreciating this month how, even though we live in a city, we can walk (or take public transit) to so many places! In the past week Rachel has taken the LRT to dance and to the mall twice to hang out with friends. I've walked to have ice cream with a friend and to work and back. It just makes me so happy and I've been appreciating it all a little extra this month.

My parents were here for a week earlier this month and my mom made a bouquet of chive flowers. I love little bouquets in my small vases, even though I don't have the same knack for making them as my mom does!

 

And we bought some new strings of solar lights this year and they're mushrooms so I'm loving those! I can't wait for summer nights under the lights on our deck! 

 

What we've been up to... June had an excellent start as my parents arrived for a visit! The kids surprised them and picked them up at our small, local, airport. This was how my parents found out Sam had his licence!

 

The kids waiting at the airport and all of us together again!!!

 

Mom and Dad did some projects around the house including putting together, and hanging, a shelf in the powder room and hanging two tiles they brought us from Portugal in the kitchen, among other things.

 

My dad mixed drinks, of course! And we spent a lot of time in the back yard.

 

We loved having my parents here so much!!!

Rachel turned 15 last week and had a fun evening with a couple of friends.

Dave had a work trip to San Diego for four days, Sam and Rachel finished off their last days of school and studied for exams, and I kept chugging along at work. This past weekend we attended a high school graduation for some friends and the next morning we went to baptisms at the river.

Rachel wrote her last final exam for Grade 9 on Monday and Sam is writing his last Grade 11 final this morning so that's also been going on.  

What I'm dreading... I feel more on top of the end of the school year than I have in past years so I'm not really dreading it, but I have been extra tired and grumpy this past week (just ask my family). I am really looking forward to next week at this time when I'll be enjoying my first day of summer break! Whooo hoo!!!

What I'm working on... All the end of school tasks at work. There's a lot to get done and I need to keep at it to finish everything off well.

What I'm excited about... Summer break!!! I have big plans including unpacking boxes from our renovation (will they all be unpacked by the end of August???), reading all the books, and facilitating the kids getting back and forth to camp. Plus, spending time with friends.

 

In early June, I caught the side of my shoe on the rug at work and went down hard on my right side in front of the other secretary, my principal, and an outside contractor. It was super embarrassing and, other than a huge bruise on my leg, I thought I was okay. Then I went to see my massage therapist last week and she told me she was concerned about my chest area. So I can't lift anything above my head (including hanging laundry and reaching half our kitchen cupboards now - ack) until I see her again. So I'm hopeful she'll remove the "no lifting above your head" restriction when I see her next week and I can get back to regular life. Where "regular life" is defined as "laundry hanging." That's what I'm really excited about people -- laundry hanging!!!

What I'm watching/reading... We've been watching FIFA World Cup soccer and I'm excited to see the Canada versus Switzerland match later today. If Canada wins, or ties, they'll advance to the next round and our house, especially Sam, is rooting for them!!!

 

I've also been watching grass grow. I planted part of the area at the base of our deck a couple of weeks ago, and as soon as I can dig (another thing I can't do right now), I'm planting the rest of it.

left: first green sprouts; middle: consistent green; right: this morning! It actually needs to be cut.

 

As for what I'm reading, well, I haven't had much time for reading, but in anticipation of summer break starting next week, I have maxed out my library account and have 20 ebooks waiting for me! I also have a few physical books so I'm more than ready to get this (reading) party started! Hahahaha! 

What I'm listening to... Since I was too tired to finish writing this post last night, I'm continuing it this morning and I'm currently listening to Dave put away the dishes. Other than that I've been hearing birds chirping. Our new bedroom windows must be much closer to them because I don't think they've ever been as loud as they have been this spring.

What I'm wearing... Today I'll be wearing my Canada shirt but I randomly bought a dress last week that I wore to the graduation on Saturday. It's kind of whimsical so I'm looking for other places to wear it. Bonus: It has pockets!!!

What I'm doing this weekend... Rachel is having a sleepover to celebrate her birthday, the kids have their final Senior Youth event (a camp out), and Dave and I will be celebrating our 18th anniversary a few days early. There's a lot going on this weekend!

What I'm looking forward to next month... Summer break! Reading all the books! Going to one of our favourite places! July is going to be an exciting month!!!

 

So that's what's up with us this last Wednesday in June. We're finishing up school and all the things and really looking forward to summer break! It's so close, I can taste it :) 

Wednesday Hodgepodge #658

It's been awhile since I've blogged so I'm jumping back in with a Hodgepodge post. The Hodgepodge is hosted by Joyce at From This Side Of the Pond. Find Joyce here.

1. June 17th, 1994 was the day of the infamous O.J. Simpson car chase. What were you doing in 1994? I'm guessing somebody is going to tell me they weren't born yet but that's part of the fun of the Hodgepodge. Lots of generations are represented here.

In 1994 I had just graduated from university with my Bachelor of Arts, with a major in English. I was working in the kitchen at my university residence and living in a house which is about four blocks away from where I live now. I was preparing to leave in August to live in Europe for a year. I participated in a cultural work exchange program in The Netherlands from August 1994 to August 1995. I don't remember most of the OJ Simpson trial because I was in Europe.

Me in the Netherlands in 1994. 

2. What's your favorite summer salad that isn't the traditional tossed green lettuce kind of salad? Do you like fresh fruit in a salad (other than in a fruit salad of course)?

 

My favourite summer salad is a chickpea salad. I've raved about this salad on the blog a number of times. It's soooo good. I've shared the recipe with a lot of people as it seems to be a crowd pleaser. I don't mind fruit in a salad like strawberries in a spinach salad or oranges or blueberries with a kale salad. In general, though, I'd rather eat my fruit plain.

3. Is chivalry dead? Should it be?

 

I don't know if chivalry is dead but I think general kindness and politeness should never go out of fashion. I feel like being considerate of other people, no matter what, is always a good idea.

4. Would you rather spend a week of your summer vacation in Hawaii or Alaska? Have you ever been to either? Are they two places you really would like to see? How do you feel about 'Hawaiian pizza' aka pineapple on a pizza? Have you ever eaten Baked Alaska?

I would rather spend a week of my summer vacation in Hawaii because I've never been. We were going to go last winter with my parents but then had to cancel our trip three weeks out as my mom was having some health issues. So Hawaii is still on my bucket list.

We went to Skagway and Haines, Alaska on our big road trip in the summer of 2019. We loved our time there and now an Alaskan cruise is on my and Rachel's bucket lists!

 

When I ate meat, I loved Hawaiian pizza but I never eat it now. I don't think I've ever had a Baked Alaska. 

5. World Cup play is happening now...are you interested? Watching any matches? Did you or your children play soccer/futbol? There are eleven US cities hosting matches-

-Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York with the stadium in NJ, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle

along with  three cities in Mexico (Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey)

and two in Canada (Toronto and Vancouver)-

You get free tickets to one of these matches. Which city do you choose? Tell us why.

We bought a subscription solely to be able watch the World Cup. Sam is especially interested and I was really hoping to get tickets for him and I to go since Toronto is close to us. However, the cheapest tickets I could find were $2,500 each and we can't do that. I did find tickets for around $500 but they were for the night of Rachel's birthday so that was also a no. However, I do keep looking, just in case.

Sam has played a lot of soccer and I think I played a bit. We've definitely gotten more into soccer since Sam loves it so  much. I want to go watch one of the matches in the square by our downtown farmer's market but, so far, I haven't been able to convince my family that would be fun!

If I could go to any of the host cities for a game it would either be Dallas or Houston so I could meet a couple of my Texas friends, Los Angeles so I could see Dave's relatives, or Seattle because I've never been there before and I'd love to go.

Now I'm going to go down a little bit of soccer adjacent memory lane, if that's okay :) 

 

Left: Sam and I did a soccer themed escape room on our mother-son trip in 2023; right: watching the entire Ted Lasso series with Sam one week in August 2024 

Left: touring Chelsea FC's stadium; right: attending a pre-season friendly match in England (both August 2025)

Sam and I attended a Canada-Iceland pre-World Cup match in March. It was barley above freezing and it snowed on us at one point, but the tickets were only $26!!! Hahaha!!!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

If I had gotten this posted in a timely fashion yesterday, it was Rachel's 15th birthday! However, due to it being Rachel's 15th birthday yesterday, I didn't get this posted in a timely fashion. But HOW is this little nugget 15?!?!?!?! We're going to get through the last day of school, the days of exams, and then we're going to celebrate her big time!!!

I hope everyone has a great Thursday and I look forward to reading the other posts in the link up on the weekend, probably while watching a soccer match! :)

Currently: June 2026

It's already the first Wednesday in June so it's time for "Currently" hosted by Amy at Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa. You can find Amy here. Settle in because I've got some exciting news to share with you this post. (At least, I think it's exciting!)

[enjoying]

 In my last "Currently" post I alluded to a backyard project we were starting. That project was stripping and painting our clothesline poles. Since then, we painted the poles a dark brown (as opposed to the bright turquoise they were before) and have strung the clothesline. This all came together last Friday so I've hung out about eleven loads of laundry since then! Whooo hooo! I've really been "enjoying" my clothesline again!

 

And in case that wasn't enough excitement for the month about two weeks ago, Sam got his drivers license!!!!! And last night he and Rachel surprised my parents by picking them up at the airport!!! Which is why I haven't said anything until now. Mom and Dad flew into our smaller, local airport so Sam was able to drive there easily. We've been keeping this secret for two weeks and it was hard! Sam has driven Rachel to dance a few times so I've been "enjoying" a little extra free time!!! Hahahahaha!!!

Left: Sam coming home from passing his test, with Rachel in the front seat; middle: Sam driving away for the first time without us in the car; right: Sam and Rachel excitedly waiting at the airport!

[wearing]

 

Well, as you may have guessed from above, I've been "wearing" my clothespin apron again! My aunt made it for me and I love it so much! Please say you're not reading this post for fashion ideas!

[watching]

 

I've been "watching" my flowers. I planted some annuals around a hydrangea we had to move last fall due to our renovation. I had to cut it way back and the bed we dug for it looked really empty. So I planted the annuals to fill it in. I'm also writing this post on our deck as the sun sets so I'm "watching" my solar lights come on in the tree. I just picked up a string of mushroom ones this past weekend. Sam came out, saw them charging, and said, "Mushrooms! Solar Lights! Figures, Mom!" Hahaha!!!

[listening (to)]

I've been "listening (to)" the birds chirping away. They chirp at 5am, and wake me up as I've been sleeping with the windows open. And they're chirping away right now as I write this post at 9 at night. I also had a ton of laundry to fold (see: "eleven loads hung on the line in three days" above) so I found an old mix I'd made on YouTube and I've been "listening (to)" my hype songs like "Hooked on a Feeling" by Blue Suede, "Stand By You" by Rachel Platten, and "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk The Moon. "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen is also in there and about thirty other amazing tunes! It's very motivating for laundry folding.

[buying]

 

The main thing I've been "buying" is flowers. I've planted about half in our yard and about half of them in planters. They look so great and I only had to make one (or two) extra trips to the greenhouse. Hahaha!!!

So that's what's been up with us "Currently." We're about to enjoy a week of visiting with my parents  and I'm so excited!!!

Monthly Musings: Summer 2026 Preview

I almost had this post ready in time for Monthly Musings this past Thursday but I just needed to finish a few things. Thus, I'm posting this on a Sunday so I don't miss the link up. We're looking ahead to what Summer 2026 holds for us. Patty, who blogs at Good, Better, Best, hosts this link up so you can go there to read the other posts.

1) Tell us about your Memorial Victoria Day Weekend.

Well, I live in Canada so we don't celebrate Memorial Day. However, the third Monday in May we get off for Victoria Day, also know as the "May 2-4" weekend! This year for Victoria Day weekend we celebrated Tessa's graduation from teacher's college, we hosted Dave's parents for supper, and we finished setting up our guest room. It was not very exciting :)

2) What were your summer jobs when you were younger?

My dad owned a garden centre and tree nursery when I was growing up so my summer jobs were working there -- I worked in the fields, in the office, and in the greenhouse. Other than that, I babysat sometimes.

3) Ice cream or popsicles? Favourite flavours?

I really like ice cream but homemade popsicles (lemonade and some fruit) are pretty good too!

4) What do you like on your burgers and hot dogs?

I like BBQ sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles on burgers and ketchup and relish on hot dogs. And all my burgers and hot dogs are vegetarian.

5) Beach, lake, or mountains?

I like them all! Sadly, I don't know if we'll hit any of these things this summer. Boo.

6) Share any travel for summer 2026.

After a few years of not being able to go in the summer, we're heading to one of our favourite places this summer!!! Whoooo hooo!!!

7) Do you visit amusement parks in the summer? Tell us your favourite.

Even though we have a really big amusement park not that far from us, we all dislikes rides. Thus, we never go to amusement parks.

8) Do you enjoy dining outside in the summer?

YES!!! I eat as many meals as I possibly can outside in the summer. I start with drinking my morning coffee-hot chocolate outside, and often have a drink midday too!

9) Favourite summer beverage?

Anything my Dad makes! Hahahaha!!! He makes a really great G&T and we love to experiment with other possibilities! I currently have some rhubarb in my fridge which I'm going to turn into rhubarb syrup for a drink we invented one summer -- a St Petersburg Burro. It's a Moscow Mule made with rhubarb syrup and it's yummy!!!

10) Favourite side dish for summer parties? Please feel free to share recipes.

I really like a chickpea salad recipe I got from a dietitian at our grocery store quite a few years ago. Take 1-2 cans of chickpeas and rinse them. Toss them in a bowl with a good sized grated carrot, a good handful (around 1 cup, maybe) of chopped cucumber, a chopped pepper or two (I often use a combination of red, orange, or yellow ones), chopped feta cheese (again, around a cup?), 2-3 chopped green onions, and a good handful (10-15) of mint leaves -- chopped up. Mix 1/2 lemon juice and 1/2 olive oil together. (I use maybe 1/2 cup of each). Add 1 tsp cumin and 1 tsp honey. Mix together and pour over the salad. This salad usually lasts us about 5 days in the fridge and I really love it.

Writing about all these things makes me really excited for summer! Sadly, I still have a month of work left, and the kids have a month of school, but we're getting closer! Bring it on!!!