Life Last Week (9-15 March 2026)

 

The weather for the week ahead:::

Last week's weather took an unexpected turn when we woke up to this, and it snowed all day.

Rear deck and backyard

Looking from our front door across to the neighbor's house

On my reading pile:::

 

Still working through this.

The Champagne Letters

On my TV:::

The Pitt on Thursdays followed by Outlander on Fridays

Checked off the list:::

• Ran to Target on Monday for a few things I had on my list.  Found a Target gift card in my wallet left over from our Christmas Bingo game which came in handy.
• Purchased our travel insurance for Paris - not sure what made me double check whether we had insurance or not and it was one of those things on the list that I was going to do and didn't.  All sorted now.
• Emotional day on Wednesday when Sophia had to say goodbye to Ginger.
• It was our week for snacks for our small group, so I whipped up some Olive-Nut Spread and Almond Joy Cookies - both were a hit.
• Lunch with two of my former co-workers on Thursday to catch up on all the workplace news.
• Fortunately, I had pulled my car into the garage in anticipation of rain so the windshield repair person would stay dry.  As it was, it was snow and not rain so she was shielded from the elements.  The ding was right smack in the middle of the windshield (a casualty of a rock on the Interstate when we were coming home from Sophia's) so the repair was easy.

• Vic worked all day Saturday, so I tackled a filing project I had been putting off and spent the afternoon with Ragnar and Rollo from the Vikings.  We went out to dinner at a local barbecue place when Vic got home.
• Sunday is for bagels and smoked salmon and assorted jobs around the house.

Crafts roundup:::

Paris planning still in full swing so no crafting this week, or for the next few weeks.

And in other news:::

I need these in my life - it's time for a trip over to the British Pantry

Hope all of my UK friends had a lovely day yesterday!

Friday Favorites - St. Patrick's Day at Home

 

A little St. Patrick's Day home decor.  It doesn't change too much from year to year.  Still looking for a runner to put on the console under the pieces there.

Nora Fleming Napkin Holder with Leprechaun Hat Mini - I had a really tough time finding napkins and ended up ordering them from Amazon as my local supermarkets had nothing - they moved right on to Easter

 in their seasonal section

Left side of the mantle:  St. Patrick's Day phrase art (Michaels) and two wooden pieces from LacyBelles on Etsy (they are taking a short break), garland at the bottom from an Etsy shop that's no longer available

Right side of the mantle:  Two more pieces from LacyBelles and a plaque from Michaels

Left side of console:  Plaque with an Irish Blessing, stack of books (LacyBelles), Belleek vase with paper straws

Center of console: Mishmash of a plaque, leprechaun, two Belleek pieces, and a rolling pin and beads from LacyBelles

Right side of console:  Wooden jar (Michaels) and vase with clear and green glass beads and faux daffodils

Not sure what the plan is for the day - we went out to an event at a local bar/restaurant last year that had live music, and I'd really like to find something like that again.

RIP Ginger

 

A very sad day for Sophia yesterday when she had to say goodbye to one of her best friends.  She and Ginger were together since 2020 and Ginger brought so much joy to all who knew her.  

Wednesday Hodgepodge - Volume 644

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge!  Here are this week's questions, which you should answer on your own blog and then pop over to Joyce's blog (click on the graphic for the link) Wednesday to add your link to the party.

 

1. Are you a naturally trusting person? Is trust built on logic or 'gut instinct'? Does everyone deserve a second chance? Elaborate. 

Yes, I consider myself a naturally trusting person with trust built usually on logic.  Not everyone deserves a second chance as there are some people who are just evil and they need to be kept away from the general public.

2. 'Beware the Ides of March'...March 15th on the ancient Roman calendar, these words were made famous by William Shakespeare in his play Julius Caesar.  Caesar was assassinated on March 15th 44 B.C. Have you read any Shakespeare? If so, do you have a favorite? Have you ever been to Rome? 

Yes, I've read Shakespeare.  Two years of English literature was full of Shakespeare.  My favorite is Much Ado About Nothing and I love Shakespeare's Sonnets.  Check out this clip of Judi Dench reciting Sonnet 29 - (40) Dame Judi Dench Masterfully Does A Shakespeare Sonnet | The Graham Norton Show - YouTube - she's amazing!  I haven't been to Rome...yet!

3. Do you like a Caesar salad? If given the choice between a garden/house salad or Caesar which do you order? Anchovies or no? What's your favorite salad dressing? 

I love Caesar salad and I would choose it over a house salad any day.  No anchovies.  Our local sushi/teriyaki place has a great dressing that they serve with iceberg lettuce.  This is the closest I have come to its taste, it's yummy.

4. Where do you typically work (or blog if that's easier) at home? Do you have a dedicated home office space? Are you happy with that space? 

I work at my desk in our office - it's a bedroom that we converted to an office/craft room.  My desk faces the TV so there is usually something playing in the background as I blog, pay bills, or scrapbook.  It's an ok space but it needs some decluttering.

5. Snow drops, daffodils, Lenten roses, crocus, hyacinth, or early tulips...what's your favorite early Spring flower? 

Daffodils.  March is the Daffodil Festival just to the north of us, closely followed by the Tulip Festival in April.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Doesn't this just say, "Take me to the Amalfi Coast".  Get your fix at Target!  Looks like a dupe for something much more expensive at Williams Sonoma.

Share Our Lives - March 2026

Catching up on the 2nd Monday of the month's Share Our Lives.  This month we're looking at Grocery List Frequent Buys.

My grocery shopping is all over the place as I shop at the commissary on the military base, Costco, Trader Joe's, and World Market.  I'll need to do a follow-up post with a typical grocery shop.

However, there are three things that I buy every time I go to the commissary, and I took photos of the prices in June 2025 for a comparison feature I was doing in my scrapbooking.  I know the prices have risen since then.  I'll add that the follow-up as well.

We drink instant coffee and Vic prefers Nescafe Clasico

We eat a lot of rice and there's always a 5-pound bag of jasmine rice in the rice container and another one ready to go - we will never run out of rice

Vic drinks a honey, lemon, and ginger drink every morning and this organic honey is the one I buy

Join us in April, the 2nd Monday of the month, for Favorite Cleaning Products.

Life Last Week (2-8 March 2026)

We sprang forward this weekend so it's time for a springy graphic.  Anyone else look this up - Sprang vs. Sprung:  Difference Explained?  I think I should have been an English teacher.

The weather for the week ahead:::

OK, rain, I think everything is green enough!

On my reading pile:::

 

Working my way through this, a recommendation from Amy at Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa.

The Champagne Letters

On my TV:::

Outlander did not disappoint on Friday!

Thursdays are for The Pitt - Tanya at The Other Side of the Road said she wished there was more to each episode and I have to agree!  It's a great show.

Checked off the list:::

• Took my car in to get the Check Engine light checked and it was the thermo control valve that failed so they replaced that.  I had a tentative appointment for March 9, but they gave me a loaner (brand new 2026 Subaru Forester, 29 miles on it as I drove off the lot!) and said they should be able to squeeze it in over the next few days.  They also recommended Walnut Blasting since they were working in the intake manifold, and the blasting would clean it out.  Anyone ever heard of this?  Because they were already replacing the valve, the blasting was 50% off.  

• Our Viking luggage tags arrived - it's really getting real!

• Decided to destash some of my rubber stamps - some of them have never been used and never will be.  Do you have craft supplies for that project you're going to do one day and then you never end up actually using them?  Thank goodness for resale sites.
• Lunch Bunch at a local Vietnamese spot which was delicious then a quick trip to Costco (ok, maybe it wasn't a quick trip, could it ever be on a Saturday, lol?).

Crafts roundup:::

Paris planning in full swing so no crafting this week, or for the next few weeks.

And in other news:::

I could get on board with this, but the to-do is long today and the laundry is calling!

Spring Forward

Do you spring forward in your area?