Wednesday Hodgepodge

Hello and happy Wednesday!

We’re chugging right along this week, and so far so good.

It’s been a bit since I’ve joined Joyce for her weekly Hodgepodge post, and that’s what I’m doing today.

This week’s questions are mostly St. Patrick’s Day themed which is very festive!

1. St. Patrick’s Day was on Monday. Did you mark the day in some way? Wear green? Make a special meal? Watch or participate in a parade?

St. Patrick’s Day has always been a holiday we’ve celebrated. Of course, Monday was a school day, so it just kind of felt like a Monday. That being said, our principal encouraged all to wear green with a department challenge of which department had the most participants wearing green. The English department won the challenge!

I’d say for at least the past ten years, I’ve made the corned beef and cabbage recipe that I got from my dad and the Irish Soda Bread recipe that I got from my mom. My brother’s family comes over and I double the recipe…two slow cookers with corned beef and veggies and two loaves of Irish Soda Bread. It’s a fun tradition that I hope my kids look back on and love. Since I made everything for Sunday dinner, Hadley kept smelling the deliciousness all day and couldn’t wait for dinner.

I don’t think I’ve been to a St. Patrick’s Day parade since college! I also feel like the Lexington parade gets rained out most years. I know it did this past Saturday.

2. Do you think luck plays a part in your life? Explain.

Here are some “notable”” luck quotes:

• “The harder you work, the luckier you get.” – Thomas Jefferson
• “Luck is preparation meeting opportunity.” -Oprah Winfrey
• “Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “Good luck has its storms.” – George Lucas
• “Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.” -Dalai Lama

I love a good quote, and these definitely ring true. I especially think that the harder you work, the luckier you get! Hard work pays off and helps accomplish your dreams.

That being said, I don’t like to get ahead of myself for fear of “jinxing” something. It’s nice to feel like all is going well and that luck is on your side.

3. Of the 15 green foods listed, which one is your favorite and how do you like it prepared? Any on the list that are a hard no for you? In general, do you like fruits and veggies? As a kid did you eat them willingly or did you hide peas in your napkin hoping your mom wouldn’t see?

{list: asparagus, avocado, broccoli, celery, cucumber, grapes, green beans, kale, kiwi, lettuce, lime, pear, peas, pistachios, spinach}

I’d say from this list my favorite would be avocado —but for guacamole!

Hard no’s would be peas! Absolutely not. My kids like peas (or at least won’t pick them out if they are part of a meal), so I always think that it’s funny that they like them and I can’t stand peas.

I also remember my high school Spanish teacher talking about “guisantes” (peas in Spanish), and just how she would say the word as she knew I didn’t like peas!

A funny story about kiwi…When I was in probably 3rd or 4th grade…my dad said I couldn’t leave the dinner table until I tried the kiwi that was our fruit for dinner. I sat there for a long time and refused to try it. My dad wasn’t giving in and then told me if I tried it, I’d get a surprise. Finally, I tried it, gagging and then finally spitting it out. I asked my dad what my surprise was since I’d tried it…and he said the surprise was that I would like it! haha!

If “side eye” was a thing back then, I’m sure I gave him major side eye. A little bit later, he took me to Dairy Queen, and I got an Blizzard! He’s soft-hearted for sure.

Although I haven’t had kiwi since, I think it was the texture of kiwi more than anything.

I do like fruits and veggies…right now, it’s nice that at the store, there’s starting to be more of a variety of fresh fruit now that it’s spring. Of course, summer is the best time when it’s watermelon season, and I will also get pineapple a lot in the summer. It’s just nice being able to buy the Cuties now…those are easy to pack in lunches. I buy apples year round.

Green beans are the #1 veggie for dinner in our house. I buy the fresh cut ones, blanch them in water, and then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. My kids actually like asparagus too, but usually just when I make this “asparagus fries” recipe. It’s a hit in the summer.

As a kid, I think it did okay eating veggies, but like I said, there were definitely veggies I said “no” to like peas. I also didn’t eat or like eating? asparagus until I was an adult.

4. What’s something that makes you ‘turn green’? (with envy or with illness)…

I’m not a fan of heights, big roller coasters or blood. Those things can definitely make me “turn green.”

5. Did you spend a lot of time outdoors as a child? Doing what? Do you spend a lot of time outdoors now? Doing what?

As a child, I do feel like I was outside a lot. I had a couple of friends in the neighborhood, and I remember running around with them…back and forth from house to house. We had a swing/play set in our back yard and would spend a lot of time on that in the summer. We’d go to my grandparents’ pool in the summer too!

In the spring, I love going for walks. Truly, the past couple of weeks have been so nice getting exercise in while listening to a book. I love to sit on my front porch in the summer. It’s covered, so even in the hot weather, there’s shade, and I’ll read. Of course, I love going to the pool in the summer if I can find a spot under an umbrella.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I sometimes miss the phase of the kids dressing up for holidays like Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day and the 4th of July.

Cuties…too cute to pinch 🙂

Thanks for reading!