Wednesday Hodgepodge - Volume 558

 

1. It's a big week in the US of A as we celebrate Independence Day. Do you have any special plans? How will you mark the day? BBQ? pool-lake-beach time? fireworks? homemade ice cream? If you're not an American you can tell us what's happening in your corner of the world on Thursday. 

No special plans - the kitchen electrical project is still going so we won't be having anyone over.  We'll probably just barbecue and spend the day at home.  Keeping Malone quiet will be on the list - the fireworks started here on Monday night, and he went crazy, barking at each burst.

2. What's your favorite 'All-American' dessert? 

Apple pie and ice cream.

3. Does that patriotic feeling come easily to you, or are you having to work for it more these days? What's something that makes you proud to be a citizen of your country?  

It comes easily to me.  I'm an Army brat, now a Navy wife so service to country, patriotism is in my blood.  I love history and we were fortunate to live in New England for five years and explore many of the places that played a part in our country's freedom.  It makes me proud to see respect for our military, whether it's the Patriot Riders taking part in a funeral procession or children waving flags at a hometown parade.

4. Your favorite 'patriotic' movie? Favorite patriotic song? 

I just watched The Patriot with Mel Gibson last week and I think I'll give Turn another viewing (you can watch it with Prime).

God Bless the USA by Lee Greenwood is my favorite song, it's played at every Navy ship's homecoming as the ship is approaching the pier.

The red, white, and blue lei at the front of the ship is a homecoming tradition.  During the deployment, the spouses' group makes the lei by tying colored plastic trash bags to a thick rope.  As the ship approaches, the lei is transported by tugboat to the ship where it is placed on the bow of the ship.  It's really impressive.

5. One simple pleasure on your July 'bucket list'? 

A road trip to a state park with Malone.  Not sure which one yet, I need to print out a list and work on checking them off as we visit.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

It's Christmas in July!  Does anyone else celebrate in any way?  Watching Hallmark Christmas movies?  Making plans for Christmas 2024?  Trying out or making crafts, cards, or decorations?  I'll be posting through the month if you're interested in my Christmas in July activities.

Currently - July 2024

 

It's July and we're talking about what we're currently loving, looking forward to, savoring, celebrating, and remembering.  Pop on over to Jennifer's blog and join us.

loving // planning.  I love to plan, to make lists, to check things off as they are completed.  Right now, our trip to Paris (still some time away) and Vic's retirement party are top of the list.  Paris planning is helped along by the great Facebook page and You Tube videos of Les Frenchies where there are lots of questions asked and answered.  I'm learning from everyone else in the group.  Vic's retirement planning is a little more challenging as I try to decide who to invite which will be determined by how many people I think our house will hold comfortably!  July also brings Christmas in July so there's planning to do there as well.

Antoine and Colleen, hosts of Les Frenchies

looking forward to // getting Malone through the fireworks.  For some reason, there was a burst of them on Monday night and he went nuts, barking like crazy.  When we had MudLynn, she just wanted to hide, usually with her face underneath a couch or bed.  Malone wants to bark the fireworks away.  It's going to be a long couple of nights.

savoring // barbecue dinners.  Summer is the time to move the cooking outside.  I'm hoping that Vic will fire up the Blackstone and make a batch of fried rice for the freezer.

celebrating // Independence Day.  It makes me think back to all of our visits to places that played such a huge part in our country's freedom - Valley Forge, Philadelphia, Boston, Yorktown, Williamsburg, and so many more.  I loved living in New England and look forward to a few more trips to explore some of the areas we didn't have time to visit when we lived there.

remembering // Mum.  July brings 21 years since she died, and I still miss her dreadfully.  There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of something I'd like to tell her, I miss our times together, our phone calls.  So many wonderful memories which are what make me smile now when I think of her. 

And this makes me laugh because it is so Mum.  It makes me think of the first time Mum and Dad met Sophia, in Jacksonville, Florida in 1995, and what a spoiled little girl she was.

Christmas in July - Day Two (If this is Tuesday, it must be England #172)

 

Christmas in England is a magical time.  I've spent the holiday in a cottage with a coal fire in a picturesque village that had all the fixings - snow, Dickensian carolers, pub dinners, cream teas, a bit of sightseeing in a castle, Christmas Eve service in a historic church (present church consecrated in 1885, but the original church was built in 1120) - memories that will never be forgotten.

If Christmas in England is on your radar, here are 12 magical places to visit at Christmas, courtesy of Sykes Holiday Cottages.  Click on the link to read more about these delightful locations:

1.  Broadway

2.  Ludlow

3.  Whitby

4.  Conwy

5.  Bakewell

6.  Ambleside

7.  Mousehole

8.  Staithes

9.  Llandudno

10.  Bowness-on-Windermere

11.  Buxton

12.  Scarborough

Where would you choose?

Prime Purchases - July 2024

  

 It's time for Tanya's Prime Purchases.

The first of three items this month for Paris planning.  I'm using these little dot stickers to mark the locations on our itinerary each day

National Geographic's Paris map - a disappointment as it didn't include all the areas I wanted so I went to Barnes & Noble and picked up a better one

You can't go wrong with Rick Steves other than the print being really, really small for these old eyes

 

Two items from Vic's wish list for Father's Day - a router table lift base and labor-saving arm lifts

A brush pen - saw this on Ali Edwards' You Tube channel used for brush stroke titles on scrapbook layouts - I haven't quite figured out how to use it yet

Lovely new Laura Ashley bedding with comforter, shams, Euro shams, and two throw pillows

Christmas in July 2024 - Day One

DISCLAIMER:  If you love Christmas or are at all intrigued by a post about Christmas in July, read on.  If you think I'm crazy to be writing about Christmas in July and have no interest in holiday talk so far away from winter, scroll down to the holiday sangria recipe, whip up a jug, and enjoy your summer, lol!

Here we go, Christmas in July!  A time to enjoy Christmas prep in the comfort of your (hopefully) air-conditioned home!  It's a chance to try out new recipes, new crafts, new lists for planning, breaking Christmas into small, manageable pieces so you're not overwhelmed in December.  I love Christmas in July!

Check out some background here - the story behind this not-so-seasonal Christmas celebration—plus how you can celebrate this year - Christmas in July: What It Is, How It Started, and Why You Should Celebrate This Year (realsimple.com)

First up on my list, the Hallmark Channel's Christmas in July movie line-up.  Watch every day or pick and choose a few to DVR for later.  Here are this year's new movies.  There will be non-stop snow, hot chocolate, evergreen-bedecked charming towns, twinkling lights, Christmas sweaters, and LOVE!

It's time for a Christmas cocktail and since it's July, what's better than a refreshing sangria?

Easy Christmas Holiday Sangria

Then it's time to dig out my holiday planner and make sure all the pages are updated.

I use these great felt clips to mark the various sections of my Christmas planner - V, S, and P for gift ideas, the elf and Santa's helper to mark a variety of lists, and the Christmas tree to mark decorating dates, ornaments to buy, decorations to replace or repair.  Sadly, the Etsy shop for these clips has closed but you can probably find another felt clip maker or use some other sort of clip to mark the sections.

I should have been doing this through the year, on the 25th of each month (Rudolph Day) but I've been slacking on my posts for a while (ugh, a quick review of my blog shows I haven't done a Rudolph Day post since 2021!) so I need to start now.  There's a theme to each Rudolph Day, to break planning and prep into small pieces.

Here's the annual line-up with the sub-theme (if there is one) in parentheses:

January - Tie Up Loose Ends (gather ideas and organize your Christmas notebook)

February - Begin a Holiday Letter

March - Birthday Gift-Buying Strategy (party planning for the holiday season)
April - Plan Holiday Crafts

May - Catalog Shopping Tips

June - Recipe Round Up

July - Choose a Holiday Plan (Christmas in July celebration)

August - Craft Control (thinking ahead to Elf on the Shelf)

September - Prepare for Holiday Gifts and Giving

October - Plan Holiday Meals

November - Write Holiday Letter

I also belong to a great Christmas group, Magical Holiday Home, and we have a hostess each month for Rudolph Day.  She suggests a movie, book, recipe, and craft for us to check out and it's a lot of fun to share our thoughts with the rest of the group.

I hope you've enjoyed this little get ready for Christmas in July post.