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!!!

What's Up Wednesday: May 2026

It's been a full month of working on projects, starting to transition to focusing on the yard as the weather gets warmer, and having some fun in the midst of all of that! Welcome to May's What's Up Wednesday.

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... This month has been an interesting month of eating. We're eating as many meals as we can outside, but it hasn't been as much as I'd like, since our spring has been cool. Sam baked scones as a Mother's Day treat for me and they were delicious! And our fruit box had a bunch of oranges, and then Dave accidentally bought more, so I've been eating an orange almost every work day. Rachel used some of the oranges to make orange chocolate chip muffins so I've eaten a bunch of those too. Can you tell we're in the transition space of eating? We're not into hearty winter meals anymore but the weather isn't cooperating with full BBQ and salads season yet.

What I'm reminiscing about... I read a really engaging book about the Olympics so I've been reminiscing about when we got to see the Olympic torch relay.

This was in January 2010 in Edmonton and it was so cold!!!

Sam has been practising driving a lot so I've also been reminiscing about Sam's previous driving experiences!

My dad first taught Sam to drive (on their yard) the summer Sam turned 10. He also practiced with Rachel on Tow Mater back in 2012, when he was three! It's hard to believe he'll soon be driving away for real!!! 

What I'm loving... I've had the chance to enjoy some amazing flowers this month. I got Dave to buy me the roses at Rachel's dance performance, which was on my birthday. One of the advantages of our cool spring has been that my ranunculus are looking AMAZING this year! I almost didn't do a ranunculus planter this year but I'm so glad I did.

 

What we've been up to... May started with Rachel's dance performance and my birthday. We spent a lot of time taking the LRT to and from the University, where her performance was held.

We attended the In Bloom festival as part of my birthday experience. It was so lovely!

On Mother's Day we went and played mini golf and then out to my favourite pizza place for supper. 

  

That week we headed out to a Blue Jays' game. It was a Loonie Dogs night so we ate a lot of hot dogs and I got to meet the Loonie Dogs Kings! It was a really fun game and we're hoping to get to another Loonie Dogs night this season. 

  

I helped Janice host, and then we all attended, a French themed party to celebrate Tessa's graduation from teacher's college with her French specialization.

And we've been doing some house projects. We set up our guest room and sanded and painted the laundry line poles.

What I'm dreading... I'm both excited for, and dreading, the last month of school/work for me. There's always so much work to do this month as a secretary, but the staff and students are in "party mode" so it's extra crazy. We have four weeks and one day until the last day of school for students and then I'll still have a few days to go until I'm on summer break.

What I'm working on... I've been doing the "walk every day in May" challenge with Shay at Mix and Match Mama. I even went for walks both days this past weekend when it was raining. On the plus side, this has been really good for my virtual walking challenge! I'm making so much progress on it this month!

On Sunday we finally got to my favourite greenhouse so now I need to get working on planting all these plants! I've planted about 14 of them but I still have about 50 to go!!!

What I'm excited about... Laundry hanging!!! We finally got the clothesline hung last night and now we're having a few days of good weather. I'm sooooo excited!!! In fact, I may hang the first load of laundry on the line this morning before I go to work! Hahaha!!!

 

What I'm watching/reading... I wrote most of this post as I watched the Blue Jays try to win their 5th game in a row on Sunday. It feels like they've had a rough spring but the announcers pointed out today that they have the exact same record they had at this time last year. And we all remember how last year ended for the Blue Jays, right?! :)

 

As for reading, I read Patriot Hearts: Inside the Olympics That Changed a Country by John Furlong on Monday night. I didn't mead to read it all in one night but it sucked me in! It was so good and I've already recommended it to a couple of people.

What I'm listening to... We've been sleeping with the windows open lately and every morning, shortly before 5am, I hear the birds singing loudly. They are a very pleasant alarm clock!

What I'm wearing... I bought a new sweater, on impulse, at Costco early this month. It's a nice weight for our cool spring and I've really enjoyed wearing it.

 

What I'm doing this weekend... I don't think we have any big plans. If the weather is good, we'll probably focus on outside tasks for a bit. We have a lot of weeding to do, and, as you can see above, I have a lot of planting to do. We should also probably clean some rooms. I've been enjoying our quieter weekends recently. I also may have mentioned to Dave last night that we might need to go back to the greenhouse for more flowers! Hahaha!!!

What I'm looking forward to next month... June is always full with Rachel's birthday, Father's Day, and our anniversary. Plus, it's the end of school and Dave has a work trip. June is going to keep us on our toes this year. (As it does every year, let's be honest!).

So that's what's up with us this last Wednesday in May. We're slowly starting to get some nicer spring weather and we're enjoying the longer evenings and having a little more space in our schedule. What's been your favourite thing about May?